The liver is a vital organ that lies beneath the rib cage on the right side of the abdomen. The liver plays an essential role in many body functions, including digestion, nutrient absorption, metabolism, energy production, immunity, waste excretion and the removal of harmful toxins from the blood. This organ is also important for manufacturing blood clotting factors and vitamin A in the body. Symptoms of liver damage vary; liver damage can be diagnosed using medical scans and biopsies.
Skin Yellowing
Liver damage due to viral infections, injury, blockages of ducts and other causes can result in high levels of the bile pigment bilirubin in the bloodstream. This leads to the symptom of yellowing of both the skin and the whites of the eyes. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, this is often the first--and occasionally the only--sign of liver disease.
Pain and Fever
Liver damage can cause symptoms such as abdominal pain, discomfort, fever and chills. This usually results from blocked ducts, viral infections, autoimmune liver disease, drug reactions and inflammation of the liver as noted by MayoClinic.com
Feelings of Fullness
Feelings of fullness can occur because liver disease can cause an enlarged liver, or hepatomegaly. MayoClinic.com notes that liver enlargement compresses the surrounding organs in the abdomen, causing sensations of fullness that may progressively worsen as the liver disease worsens.
Fatigue
Chronic fatigue, tiredness and weakness are also symptoms of liver disease. Merck, an online medical library, notes that this occurs as the functions of the liver, such as blood filtration, become sluggish or abnormal due to disease. Liver disease can trigger the growth of new, diverted blood vessels that cause blood to bypass the liver, leading to the accumulation of toxins, wastes and dead cells in the blood and symptoms such as fatigue and weakness.
Swelling
According to Merck, swelling is caused by the buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity due to leaks on the surface of the liver and the intestines. This symptom of liver disease is usually noticeable as swelling or puffiness around the abdominal area.
