Your liver is a major organ that handles over 200 bodily processes. including blood filtering, producing bile, and storing fat soluble vitamins. In an adult, the liver weighs about 3 lbs. and is located beneath your ribs, in the upper portion of your abdomen on the right side. Liver damage or poor function is a sign of a serious condition that requires immediate medical attention.
Skin Symptoms
One of the first signs of poor liver function is jaundice. Jaundice is caused by large amounts of bilirubin, bile pigmentation, in your bloodstream, giving your skin and eyes a yellow tint. It generally occurs when the bile ducts are blocked, the liver is inflamed, or there are abnormal liver cells. Jaundice may be the only symptom of liver disease, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Your skin may also provide other clues to liver damage, such as skin being itchy with no relief available and a swollen and painful abdomen. If scar tissue builds up and replaces healthy liver tissue, blood flow to the liver is inhibited and may produce symptoms that include, red swollen hands, shrunken testes and spider veins.
Urine and Stool Symptoms
When you have jaundice, the high levels of bilirubin will circulate through your kidneys and produce urine that is very dark in color. If you suffer from cholestasis, which is the name for the occurrence of stopped or reduced bile flow, you will find that your stools may be pale or bloody.
Other Generalized Symptoms
Other symptoms that your liver is in trouble include chills, bone loss, being prone to bleeding and bruising, enlargement of the gallbladder or spleen, as well as mental confusion due to toxins building up in your blood. You may also feel nauseated, have a loss of appetite, and suffer from chronic fatigue. According to the American Liver Foundation, if your liver problems increase to having cirrhosis, fluids may build up in your legs and abdomen, you may become quite sensitive to medications and become resistant to insulin, leading to type II diabetes.
Common Causes Liver Problems
There is a long list of diseases and disorders that may cause liver damage or reduced liver function. Some of these are genetic, and many are caused by poor lifestyle choices. The most common include cirrhosis and hepatitis due to alcoholism, hepatitis types A, B, C, D and E, liver cancer, and Wilson's disease. To confirm there is a liver problem and identify what type, your doctor can run blood tests specific to liver function and conditions, give you a CT scan or MRI, or perform a liver biopsy, where they remove a portion of your liver for testing.
