Introduction

According to Bharat Bhise, it can be difficult to diagnose liver diseases unless you are familiar with their symptoms or conducting regular health check-ups. Your liver is an important organ that is responsible for creating energy from food, metabolizing drugs, fighting off infections, and more. Thus, it is important to ensure it stays healthy and heal it if you notice any warning signs.

The Signs

Here are a few warning signs of liver diseases that you must know:

  1. Fatty liver disease symptoms – Fatty liver disease is a condition in which your liver develops a layer of fat that can impair its function and damage the organ over time. There are no strict symptoms that can indicate fatty liver disease and symptoms may not be present in some people.

However, the typical symptoms include jaundice, unexplained weight loss, severe fatigue, blood vessels that look like spiderwebs on the skin, itchiness that lasts a long time, and more.

  1. Autoimmune symptoms – Autoimmune liver diseases include autoimmune hepatitis, and it includes symptoms such as jaundice, loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhea, and fatigue. In more extreme cases, the symptoms can include swelling in the legs, loss of brain function, and fluid in the abdomen.

  1. Hepatitis symptoms – Hepatitis is a viral disease that results in the inflammation of the liver. Typically, the most types of hepatitis include A, B, and C. It can take decades for the symptoms of chronic hepatitis to show up whereas it usually takes between 2 weeks to 6 months for the symptoms of acute hepatitis to show up.

The common symptoms of hepatitis include dark urine, light-colored stools, jaundice, joint pain, abdominal pain, fever, appetite loss, vomiting, fatigue, and nausea.

  1. Cirrhosis symptoms – Cirrhosis refers to a condition in which the liver becomes permanently damaged or scarred and it often happens as a result of alcohol-related liver disease or hepatitis. During the early period of the progression of the disease, the symptoms can include unintentional weight loss, pain or discomfort in the upper right side of the abdomen, vomiting, nausea, poor appetite, and feeling weak or tired.

During the later stages, the more serious symptoms include cognitive impairment, jaundice, abdominal bloating, dark urine, bruising or bleeding easily, severely itchy skin, and swelling in the feet, ankles, or lower legs.

  1. Liver failure symptoms – Liver failure is a life-threatening condition in which the liver slows or stops functioning normally. It requires immediate care since the symptoms get progressively worse and can ultimately lead to death.

During the early stages, the symptoms include diarrhea, nausea, fatigue, and loss of appetite. When the condition gets worse it can lead to extreme sleepiness, disorientation or confusion, and coma.

Conclusion

Bharat Bhise suggests you avoid any risk factors that can harm your liver in order to keep it healthy. The common risk factors include excessive consumption of alcohol, harmful supplements, living with obesity, high cholesterol, or diabetes, a history of liver diseases such as hepatitis B or C, and more.