Liver diseases symptoms and signs of the disease treatment. Symptoms and signs of a diseased liver
The liver is one of the most important organs of the human body. All blood goes through the filtration process, it participates in metabolic processes, synthesis of hormones, enzymes and bile. Therefore, any liver disease negatively affects other organs and systems.
There is a large number various pathologies liver, but many of them occur hidden, without specific symptoms, and it is not always possible to suspect the presence of a disease until it progresses to severe stage. Therefore, it is extremely important to respond even to the most minor violations in organism.
Disturbances in the functioning of the liver and its structure affect all organs and systems of the human body. But even experienced doctors do not always find a connection between liver disease and intestinal disorders, mood changes or skin problems. And only after full examination the original source of the disease is identified.
Viral hepatitis is considered the most common liver disease. Their symptoms very often resemble ARVI or influenza: fever, headache, feeling of nausea, and sometimes vomiting.
As the process progresses, pain occurs in the right hypochondrium, the skin and sclera of the eyes turn yellow, and itchy skin begins to torment. Liver cirrhosis often develops against the background of hepatitis, but it can also be an independent disease. The symptoms of hepatitis and cirrhosis are very similar, but with cirrhosis they become more pronounced and more disturbing to the patient.
A common disease is fatty liver disease - fatty hepatosis. Acute form The disease begins with symptoms of poisoning: nausea, vomiting, heartburn, abdominal pain, weakness. In almost all cases, mild or severe jaundice is observed. Subsequently, ulcers form in the stomach and esophagus, causing vomiting with blood. Various skin rashes, blurred vision, bloating, and loss of coordination may occur.
Benign and malignant tumors in the liver usually develop without any special manifestations. Symptoms appear with extensive lesions, when the neoplasm greatly increases in size. You can suspect the presence of the disease by increased fatigue, irritability, and drowsiness, but few people pay attention to these symptoms.
Develops against the background of certain diseases purulent inflammation in the liver cavity there is an abscess. Its symptoms resemble hepatitis or cirrhosis:
- Feverish state.
- Jaundice.
- Pain under the right rib.
- Loss of appetite.
- Sharp weight loss.
- Signs of intoxication.
In general, we can say that almost all liver diseases have similar symptoms, especially at the initial stage. Symptoms of liver diseases are divided into two groups - hepatic and extrahepatic (Table 1).
Table 1 - Manifestations of liver dysfunction
Very often, extrahepatic manifestations are considered independent diseases and remain without proper treatment. Therefore, it is very important to examine not only the diseased organ or system, but also the entire body as a whole in order to make the correct diagnosis.
Features of manifestation in men and women
There are some features of the development of liver diseases in men and women (Table 2).
It has been proven that female body more susceptible to liver diseases due to oral contraceptives, hormonal changes, and displacement of internal organs during pregnancy.
But liver diseases still occur more often in men due to a tendency to bad habits, poor nutrition and promiscuous sexual intercourse, which provokes hepatitis infection. Also, most experts believe that the symptoms of diseases in men and women can occur with different symptoms.
General symptoms:
- Heaviness, discomfort and pain under the right rib.
- Jaundice.
- Temperature increase.
- Skin itching.
- Dyspeptic disorders.
- Constant fatigue.
- Irritability.
Table 2 - Table of comparison of symptoms depending on gender
| Meaning | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| First signs |
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| Symptoms of disease progression |
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| External symptoms |
|
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The table shows that the symptoms in men and women with liver disease are approximately the same, but some signs appear earlier in men, and vice versa. This table shows average statistical data, because symptoms depend not only on the stage of the disease, but also on its cause, as well as the condition of the patient’s body.
Expert opinion:“The symptoms of the same disease, at the same stage with the same test results, are different for each patient. One may not even be aware of his illness, while another will suffer from a variety of symptoms.”
First signs
Very rarely, liver diseases develop with pronounced clinical signs, so most diseases are diagnosed when extensive lesions develop in the liver tissues, complications arise, and the organ fails to cope with the functions assigned to it. Therefore, even minor signs should not be ignored and require examination - this way you can not only prevent severe liver damage, but also avoid death.
Experienced specialists know that the skin reflects the condition of the patient’s body, so an external examination is necessary, especially if there are complaints about the liver. The patient can independently determine that something is wrong with his liver by the following manifestations:
Very often, such signs appear earlier than all others, but many patients do not pay attention to them, and the disease continues to progress and cause other symptoms:
- Dyspeptic disorders.
- Irritability, depression, decreased performance, poor sleep, absent-mindedness.
- Skin itching.
- Discomfort and pain in the abdominal area.
- Temperature increase.
Sometimes the symptoms of the disease are so obvious that the patient can notice them on their own:
People with a diseased liver constantly feel tired, want to sleep, and cannot work as usual. People around them notice their mood swings, depressive state, irritability. Self-diagnosis does not give 100% results. If 2 or more symptoms are detected, it is necessary to visit a doctor as soon as possible and undergo an examination.
Nikolai writes: “During a medical examination, they accidentally discovered heart problems and drank for more than a year various drugs. I recently had an ultrasound of the gastrointestinal tract. According to the results, there is an enlarged liver, signs of fatty degeneration, and a violation of the vascular pattern.
The doctor said it was a consequence of heart disease and long-term use tablets. The most interesting thing is that nothing bothers me, my appetite is normal, there is no pain, my skin is not yellow, although everywhere they write that there should already be symptoms.”
Symptoms of liver slagging
The liver is the largest gland in the human body, which performs several hundred various functions. In order for an organ to function stably, toxins and other substances harmful to the body must not accumulate in it. But with a modern lifestyle, it is very difficult to ensure proper and stable functioning of the liver due to severe slagging.
It is very easy to determine that the liver is full of metabolic products - just listen to the body and look in the mirror. Signs of liver slagging:
If you have such symptoms, you need to consult a doctor so that he can prescribe how to properly cleanse the liver of toxins without harming the body. Self-cleansing is not recommended, as these signs may indicate serious liver problems.
How to identify complications?
Like any disease, liver pathologies are often accompanied by life-threatening complications. Sometimes patients do not know about their diseases until severe consequences develop, so it is important to know what symptoms accompany complications in order to begin their treatment in a timely manner.
Main complications and their symptoms:
Liver pathologies are dangerous because they often occur without severe symptoms. Therefore, people prone to liver damage and at risk of developing such diseases need to visit a doctor once a year and undergo examinations.
Diagnostic methods
If symptoms of liver disease appear, you need to consult a specialist as soon as possible, since some diseases develop very rapidly. Based on complaints and examination of the patient, the patient is prescribed to undergo laboratory and instrumental diagnostics to identify what abnormalities have developed in the liver, the type, size and location of the pathological process.
The very first studies are a general blood test, a general urine test, a blood test for viruses and biochemistry. What indicators of biochemical analysis are important:
It is on these indicators that the primary diagnosis is based, and if the results deviate from the norm, a repeat and more in-depth examination is prescribed.
Instrumental methods:
- Ultrasound of the liver + fibroscanning.
- Laparoscopy.
- Elastometry and elastography.
- MRI and CT.
- X-ray studies.
- Scintigraphy.
- Biopsy.
Only the attending physician, who has all the data, can decipher the results of the examination. You cannot make a diagnosis based on just one study - many liver pathologies have the same Clinical signs, and even in the results of analyzes there may be similarity of data.
Nadezhda writes: “A year ago I began to feel constant weakness, indifference to everything, nausea. At the doctor's appointment they were diagnosed with " vegetative-vascular dystonia", a neurologist and a psychiatrist confirmed the diagnosis. I took nootropics and antidepressants, nothing helped, and some pills only made things worse.
They ordered me to take tests when I started itching wildly, and it turned out that I had high bilirubin, ALT and AST. The reason has not yet been determined, but the doctor said it was a liver problem. We are waiting for the rest of the results."
The main signs of liver pathologies occur in many people, but not everyone pays attention to them in a timely manner and ends up in the hospital with severe complications. Doctors recommend that you be attentive to your health - it is better to visit a doctor on time and quickly treat the disease in its early stages than to suffer from severe consequences later.
Liver is important human organ, who is entrusted with rather difficult work in several directions.
- Firstly, the liver produces bile, which is then collected in the intrahepatic ducts, the common bile duct, and accumulates in the gallbladder for some time, after which it is released into the duodenum. Bile helps break down fats. In addition, bile acids have a laxative effect and stimulate intestinal motility.
- Secondly, the liver is a laboratory in which many poisons and toxic substances are neutralized. Blood passing through the liver is purified by ammonia, phenols, acetone, ethanol, and ketone bodies. This is where some of the vitamins and hormones are destroyed.
- Thirdly, the liver plays the role of a warehouse for vitamin B12, A and D, glycogen, iron, copper and cobalt.
Cholesterol and fatty acids are also synthesized in the liver (see). A certain volume of blood can be deposited in this organ, which, if necessary, is additionally released into the vascular bed.
The smallest structural unit of the liver is the hepatic lobule, which is prism-shaped and about 2 mm in size. It is composed of hepatic beams (a series of double liver cells), between which intralobular bile ducts pass. In the center of the lobule there is a vein and capillary. Interlobular vessels and bile ducts pass between the lobules.
Today, approximately 200 million people in the world suffer from liver diseases, which are among the ten most common causes of death. The liver is most often affected by viruses and toxic substances. The most popular outcome of chronic liver pathologies is. But liver cancer is relatively rare, while metastases from cancer of other organs affect the liver 30 times more often than liver cancer itself.
What symptoms of liver disease require most attention, only a doctor can decide. Therefore, at the first suspicion of liver disorders, you should consult a specialist.
List of liver diseases
- Hepatitis: acute or chronic inflammation of the liver - viral, drug-induced, toxic, due to lack of blood supply (ischemic).
- Cirrhosis: alcoholic, biliary, postnecrotic, with hemochromatosis, rare types (against the background of Wilson-Konovalov disease, cystic fibrosis, galactosemia).
- Liver neoplasms: hepatocellular cancer, liver metastases, cysts (echinococcosis, polycystic disease), abscess.
- Infiltrative liver lesions: amyloidosis, glycogenosis, fatty liver, lymphoma, granulomatosis (sarcoidosis, tuberculosis).
- Functional disorders with jaundice:, cholestasis of pregnancy, Crigler-Nayjar syndrome, Dubin-Johnson syndrome.
- Lesions of the intrahepatic bile ducts: blockage of the bile duct (stone, scar), inflammation of the bile duct (cholangitis).
- Vascular pathologies: congestive liver in heart failure and cardiac cirrhosis of the liver, thrombosis of the hepatic veins, arteriovenous fistulas.
General signs of liver pathologies
Asthenic manifestations
These are the first symptoms of liver disease. Weakness, lethargy, fatigue, decreased performance, drowsiness are a consequence of impaired neutralization of nitrogen metabolism products in the liver.
Pain in the liver area
Jaundice
This is the coloring of the skin, white of the eyes and mucous membranes (tongue frenulum) in different shades yellow color. This manifestation is directly related to disruption of bile transport or bilirubin metabolism. The normal level of bilirubin in blood biochemistry: total from 8.5 to 20.5 µmol per liter, indirect (bound) up to 15.4 µmol per liter, direct (unbound) - 2 -5.1 µmol/l.
- Jaundice caused by damage to liver cells is called parenchymal jaundice and is characteristic of hepatitis, Dubin-Johnson syndrome and others. functional disorders. The cause of this type of jaundice is a violation of the conversion of direct (toxic) bilirubin into indirect. Jaundice has a lemon tint. In parallel with this, due to a violation of the exchange of bile pigments, urine becomes the color of beer, and feces - light clay. In a biochemical blood test, total and direct bilirubin will increase.
- Cholestatic jaundice is characteristic of obstruction of the bile ducts both inside and outside the liver. In this case, stagnation of bile provokes a yellow coloration of the skin with a greenish tint. mucous membranes and sclera. Biochemistry will show high total bilirubin and increased indirect (bound) bilirubin.
- Hemolytic jaundice is called jaundice, in which the level of direct bilirubin. For Krieger-Najjar syndrome.
Other symptoms
Other manifestations of liver disease are associated with toxic effect products that are not completely neutralized by the diseased organ.
- Against this background, insomnia and memory impairment may occur.
- Other symptoms on the skin: spider veins, small hemorrhages in the skin - the result of a clotting disorder.
- Also, a number of liver diseases are characterized by:
- red palms (plantar erythema)
- fatty plaques on eyelids
- raspberry lacquered tongue due to vitamin B12 deficiency.
Liver syndromes
When describing liver diseases, it is customary to combine many of their manifestations into groups (syndromes). From them, like from a construction set, you can put together a picture of certain liver ailments.
Cytolytic syndrome
It develops as a result of damage to liver cells (hepatocytes), primarily their walls and membranes of cellular structures. This leads to increased penetration into hepatocytes various substances, which can be replaced by cell death. Viral, drug, toxic damage, and starvation can lead to cytolysis. Hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver tumors are accompanied by cytolytic syndrome.
Laboratory criteria for this syndrome are increased blood transaminases:
- ALT, AST (more than 31 g/l for women and 41 g/l for men) (LDH (more than 250 U/l)
- bilirubin (due to direct)
- increased iron in the blood serum (26 µmol/l in women and 28.3 µmol/l in men).
The activity of cytolysis is described by the De Ritis coefficient (the ratio of ALT to AST). Its norm is 1.2-1.4. If the coefficient is more than 1.4, there is severe damage to the liver cells (chronic hepatitis C high activity, tumor or cirrhosis).
Mesenchymal inflammatory syndrome
Mesenchymal inflammatory syndrome provides insight into the activity of hepatic immune inflammation. Clinical manifestations syndrome are increased temperature, joint pain, enlarged lymph nodes and their soreness, enlarged spleen, vascular damage to the skin and lungs.
Laboratory values change as follows:
- total blood protein decreases (below 65 g/l)
- Serum gammaglobulins increase (>20%)
- thymol test exceeds 4 units
- nonspecific markers of inflammation (seromucoid >0.24 units, C-reactive protein >6 mg/l)
- Specific antibodies to DNA, as well as immunoglobulin fractions, increase in the blood.
- In this case, an increase in Ig A is characteristic of alcoholic liver damage
- Ig M – for primary biliary cirrhosis
- Ig G – for active chronic hepatitis
- in a finger prick blood test, the ESR accelerates (above 20 mm/hour in women and above 10 mm/hour in men).
Cholestasis syndrome
It indicates stagnation of bile in intrahepatic (primary) or extrahepatic (secondary) bile ducts. The syndrome manifests itself as jaundice with a greenish tint, itchy skin, the formation of flat yellow plaques on the eyelids (xanthelasma), darkening of urine, lightening of stool, and skin pigmentation. In blood biochemistry, alkaline phosphatase (>830 nmol/l), gammaglutamine transpeptidase (GGTP), cholesterol (above 5.8 mmol/l), bilirubin (due to indirect) increases. The amount of bile pigments (urobilinogen) increases in the urine, and stercobilin decreases or disappears in the feces.
Portal hypertension syndrome
- The initial stage is manifested by appetite disorders, bloating, pain in the epigastrium and right hypochondrium, and unstable stool.
- Moderate hypertension causes an enlarged spleen, initial manifestations varicose veins veins of the esophagus.
- Pronounced attaches to itself the accumulation of fluid in abdominal cavity(ascites), swelling, bruising of the skin.
- Complications are aggravated by bleeding from the esophagus and stomach, disturbances in the functioning of the stomach, intestines, and kidneys.
Hepatocellular failure syndrome
It is characterized by degeneration or replacement of liver cells by connective tissue, and a decline in all liver functions. In the clinic of this syndrome the following appear:
- temperature increase
- weight loss
- jaundice
- bruises on the skin
- red palms
- lacquered raspberry tongue
- spider veins on the chest and abdomen.
- due to changes in the exchange of sex hormones in women, excess hair growth, menstrual irregularities, atrophy of the mammary glands, and involution of the uterus appear
- men suffer from gynecomastia, testicular atrophy, libido disorders
Protein in the blood decreases due to a drop in albumin, prothrombin (PTI<90%), падают факторы свертываемости, холестерин, растут билирубин (за счет прямого), АлАТ, АсАТ, печеночные ферменты.
Acute and chronic liver failure
As a rule, this term refers to major liver failure, in which, in addition to liver cell failure (hepatocellular failure syndrome), there is also damage to the central nervous system by ammonia and phenols, which is called hepatic encephalopathy. In this case, sleep disturbances (insomnia at night and drowsiness during the day), memory, hand tremors, and imprecise movements are noted.
Causes of acute liver failure liver damage occurs due to poisoning (by toadstool toxin), viral and autoimmune hepatitis, Wilson-Konovalov disease, acute fatty liver disease in pregnant women. Chronic liver failure is the outcome of cirrhosis or tumor, as well as vascular pathologies of the liver. It is divided into four stages.
- Compensated deficiency- manifested by sleep rhythm disturbances, unstable mood, and decreased physical activity. Fever, jaundice, and spontaneous hemorrhages into the skin are noted.
- Severe or decompensated deficiency manifested by an increase in all manifestations of the first stage. There is inadequacy, sometimes aggression, followed by drowsiness and disorientation, slow speech, and pronounced. A liver odor appears from the mouth.
- Terminal or dystrophic phase- drowsiness, depression of consciousness, difficulty waking up, which is accompanied by anxiety or confusion. The patient's contact with others is disrupted, but pain sensitivity remains.
- Hepatic coma - loss of consciousness, individual movements and reaction to pain, which disappear as the coma develops. Divergent strabismus, lack of pupillary reaction to light, convulsions. Possible death.
About the activity of some enzymes
Enzymes determined in a biochemical blood test can tell you in which direction to look for liver diseases. Thus, gammaglutamine transpeptidase (GGTP) is very characteristically increased in steatohepatitis. ALT – for chronic viral hepatitis, and AST – for alcoholic lesions.
The following changes are characteristic of alkaline phosphatase.
Manifestations of liver diseases
| Disease | Manifestations | Laboratory tests |
| Acute drug-induced hepatitis | Onset 2-8 days after taking the drug (isoniazid, paracetomol, methyldopa, atenolol, rifampicin, niacin, ketoconazole). The clinic is similar to acute viral hepatitis | Similar to acute viral hepatitis |
| Chronic drug-induced hepatitis | More often in the elderly with long-term use of clofibrate, isoniazid, sulfonamides, chlorpromazine, paracetamol. Scanty symptoms: dull pain in the right hypochondrium, decreased motor activity, enlarged liver, moderate jaundice. |
|
| Acute viral hepatitis A | From the moment of infection to the clinic 14-45 days:
|
The increase in ALT is greater than AST, an increase in total and direct bilirubin, and alkaline phosphatase. |
| Viral hepatitis E | The incubation period is from 40 to 60 days. The clinical picture is similar to hepatitis A. | Similar to hepatitis A |
| Chronic viral hepatitis B | The incubation period is 1-6 months.
|
|
| Chronic viral hepatitis C | Long-term hidden asymptomatic course followed by a rapid increase in symptoms and outcome in cirrhosis or carcinoma. | Similar to hepatitis B |
| Acute alcoholic hepatitis |
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Increase in AST>AlAT, increase in GGTP |
| Chronic alcoholic hepatitis | Weakness, lack of appetite. Enlarged liver. 30% of patients have cholestasis syndrome | AsAT>AlAT |
| Liver steatosis | Nausea, vomiting, dyspepsia, pain in the right hypochondrium, liver enlargement | Increase in AST prevails over ALT, increase in GGTP |
| Cirrhosis | Hepatocellular failure syndrome, encephalopathy, portal hypertension syndrome | Increase in bilirubin, GGTP, AST>ALAT, drop in platelets, decrease in PTI, increase in gammaglobulins. |
Liver disease is becoming more common in Lately, every year the number of people who die due to their fault increases. Some experts believe that there is every reason to declare a real epidemic of these diseases.
You can list for a long time the functions that this organ performs in human body. Without it, the digestive process cannot fully take place; tissues and cells will not be sufficiently supplied with vitamins. Liver diseases are usually associated with increased load on it and disruption of the recovery process, which leads to organ destruction, inflammation, deformation and decreased functionality.
Some names of liver diseases are known to every person due to their widespread prevalence. No one is immune from their occurrence, and the factors causing certain types of pathologies have not yet been precisely determined by doctors. Their danger is that they can provoke the development of cancer and other life-threatening conditions.
Every person should know what types of liver diseases there are in order to be promptly diagnosed by a doctor in order to prevent complications. If this organ is not in a satisfactory condition, other systems of the body suffer - the kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and brain cannot fully perform their work.
Autoimmune diseases liver diseases are associated with an attack on its cells with their subsequent destruction of the immune system itself. As a result, inflammation develops.
This subtype includes the following ailments:
- Autoimmune hepatitis is of types 1 and 2. Type 1 most often affects young women, aged 15 to 40 years. According to doctors, the factor provoking its development is genetic predisposition, although this information has not yet received convincing confirmation. Type 2 occurs, as a rule, in girls and young women. People suffering from hepatitis develop liver damage and failure at a progressive rate, with subsequent, more destructive and dangerous phenomena.
- primary biliary cirrhosis occurs mainly in women and is characterized by severe itching, ulcers, jaundice and subsequent deterioration in the performance of all organs;
- cholangitis appears in combination with colitis and ulcers.
- ascariasis - caused by roundworms, it often affects people who live in tropical and subtropical climates;
- echinococcosis often occurs in people whose field of activity is related to cattle breeding and working with animals; it is often differentiated with various tumors and neoplasms;
- trichinosis;
- giardiasis;
- opisthorchiasis.
All of them are accompanied by strong allergic reactions, diarrhea and disorder of basic processes in the body.
Chronic liver diseases are also often observed, which appear from time to time and then fade away indefinitely. For example, viral hepatitis and cirrhosis can take this form.
There are 6 types of viral hepatitis:
- a - also called Botkin’s disease, or “disease dirty hands", is diagnosed mainly in children, due to unsanitary conditions in public places;
- B - also called whey. Infection occurs through blood, from a sick mother to a child, through sexual intercourse or through interaction with unsterile instruments during dental treatment or tattooing. Getting rid of it is long and difficult.
- c - the most severe type, the foci of infection are the same as with type B;
- d - accompanies subspecies B;
- e - occurs due to insufficient hygiene, in regions with poor water quality and hot climate;
- g is an insufficiently studied form.
The first four subtypes can take a chronic course and subsequently cause cirrhosis. It is almost impossible to cure it, perhaps only to slow down its progression. In many medical sources it is considered fatal, as it is a direct cause of coma, sepsis, internal bleeding and tumors.
Diagnosis of liver diseases is made by carrying out such medical research:
- blood test - general, biochemical, for the presence of viruses;
- immunological testing;
- biopsy;
- genetic tests.
Doctors - hepatologist, gastroenterologist - can answer the question in more detail about what liver diseases exist.
Symptoms of liver disease
Liver disorders are insidious in that they often do not manifest themselves at all. initial stage, and do not bother a person at all. In most cases, they are diagnosed already when they have moved from the initial stage to a progressive, or even advanced stage.
Treatment of diseases of the renal system should begin immediately if any signs appear, because they can cause great inconvenience, and especially severe forms become a direct cause of death.
The urine turns dark yellow, and the feces turn light yellow, dark brown, or sometimes even green. In addition, diarrhea and yellowness of the skin are observed. Your doctor will tell you in more detail about the symptoms and treatment of liver disorders, because they can be different and manifest themselves in several places and systems of the body.
Other signs of liver disease are:
Liver pathology can be judged by the following signs:
- discomfort and pain in the area of this organ, its enlargement;
- loss of strength, general weakness;
- headaches;
- violation mental abilities and mental function;
- itching and rash;
- vascular weakness;
- frequent bleeding;
- hypovitaminosis;
- changes in the nature and color of stool;
- an increase in the size of the abdomen, the appearance of vascular venous “patterns” around it;
- sudden weight loss;
- tongue cracks, plaque.
The manifestation of liver problems is observed from different angles, so when a patient approaches and complains, the doctor will definitely examine the skin and ask several general questions.
What are the skin signs of liver disease? It begins to change, and it is by its condition that the problem is usually diagnosed. Pathology is indicated by:
- jaundice - not only of the skin, but also of the mucous membranes and eye sclera;
- brown tint to the groin and armpits;
- the presence of strong and deep scratching;
- rashes, also often present on the skin are spots called pigment spots;
- vascular “branches”;
- red palms in the phalangeal areas of the fingers;
- cracks in the corners of the lips, dryness, peeling;
- frequent hemorrhages under the skin, bruises;
- white spots on nails;
- stretch marks;
- swelling of the veins extending from the navel.
Signs and symptoms of liver disease also occur in the form of digestive disorders:
- feeling of heaviness and fullness;
- constipation or diarrhea;
- nausea;
- dark urine and colorless stools;
- fishy smell or sweet taste in the mouth.
The first symptoms of liver disease that alarm a person are an unexpected increase in the circumference of the abdomen and swelling of the legs. The patient may notice that the button on his trousers is difficult to fasten - this is due to the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity.
The initial signs of problems with this organ are sleep disturbances, for example, in the form of drowsiness during the day and insomnia at night, lethargy and restlessness. The sick person may even fall into lethargy.
For the first alarms from the body it is worth paying close attention, because they often help stop the development of pathology and prevent complications.
In women, liver disorders manifest themselves initially in the form of hormonal imbalances and menstrual irregularities. Menstruation may be too long and too heavy, because the blood vessels become brittle and hemophilia develops, that is, a decrease in the ability of blood to clot. For the fair sex, the appearance of stretch marks on the skin is also considered an alarming signal - they are the object of close attention, especially among young girls.
In men, the first symptoms are often hormonal in nature, and are associated with the conversion of testosterone to estrogen (male to female hormone). It appears like this:
- increase in breast size;
- changes in the nature of hair growth;
- impotence;
- testicular atrophy.
How to determine liver disorder yourself? We should be wary spontaneous bleeding from the nose, or while brushing teeth, unexplained fatigue, which affects performance and significantly reduces its quality.
In addition, severe itching is considered a sure sign of liver abnormalities in a person - the patient sometimes scratches the skin very hard, until pronounced marks appear. This is due to excess bilirubin deposits causing irritation.
What other signs of liver disease? Nervous disorders also signal a problem:
- tremor of fingers, changes in handwriting;
- memory loss;
- changes in personality;
- spontaneous consciousness or lack thereof;
- epilepsy;
- convulsions.
Since women have a stronger predisposition to certain types of diseases, they should definitely pay attention to the first signs. The insidiousness of the first symptoms for the fair sex is also that they do not always cause concern.
For example, hormonal disorders may be considered a temporary phenomenon associated with age, pregnancy or childbirth.
The first symptoms in men, in terms of skin and internal manifestations, resemble the initial warning signs in women. You should also pay attention to the character pain- they are different:
- minor, aching, periodically appearing in the right hypochondrium;
- widespread and intense;
- strong, localized in the hepatic projection.
In both men and women, pain may be absent at all - this indicates an illness that progresses sluggishly. In this case, it usually goes unnoticed. A sign of the disease in both the stronger and the fair sex is excessive pallor of the limbs and face, increased sweating.
Your doctor will give you an exact answer to the question of what the symptoms of a particular liver disease are. You should contact him if you are alarmed by any changes in your condition.
Some warning signs of the body about the presence of pathology are quite clearly expressed, and it is difficult not to notice them.
Therapeutic measures are developed depending on the nature of the disease, its stage, and the complications to which it has led or will lead in the future. A balanced diet based on avoiding certain foods is the main therapeutic method.
Symptoms of liver diseases with proper nutrition at the initial stage of development of the deviation often disappear completely, because it is with the consumption of food harmful products their occurrence is often associated.
Symptoms and treatment of liver diseases are the competence of a gastroenterologist, infectious disease specialist or hepatologist. The latter specialization is rare, usually only in private clinics.
Changing your diet when symptoms of the disease appear is a great way to get rid of them forever. The final decision on treatment methods should be made by the doctor.
Often the first signs in men or women are noticed by another specialist - a gynecologist, urologist or therapist. He prescribes the necessary consultations and examinations. Dietary treatment is one of the most effective ways, allowing you to get rid of most of the associated problems not related to abnormalities in the liver.
Diet for liver disease
Liver pathologies require a special diet, which is necessarily included in the treatment process; without it, it will not be complete and effective. The effectiveness of therapy depends on how accurately the patient adheres to the menu developed for him.
What can you eat if you have liver disease:
Also on the list of what you can eat if you have liver ailments is: sauerkraut.
The patient's meals should be divided, preferably about 6 times a day. Better make your own portions small sizes.
Combinations of products are allowed - they can also be eaten in the form of stews or salads, puree soups. The main thing is that the patient prepares them by steaming, boiling, stewing or baking.
What not to eat if you have liver disease:
The diet of a person suffering from liver disease does not include the consumption of fried foods. When preparing permitted food, you can add salt to it to ensure that the body receives sufficient amounts of chlorine and sodium ions.
Everything that is allowed to the patient helps reduce the load on the liver. The body receives all nutrients in the right quantities.
Table 5 - this is also called special food for those who suffer from liver diseases.
An important aspect is that it is advisable to consume all dishes warm, and in no case hot.
Prevention of liver diseases
It is not always possible to influence their occurrence, and a person cannot protect himself from some particularly severe and serious illnesses. But the basic recommendations should still be followed - not only to prevent liver disease, but also to strengthen the entire body. The stronger the immune system, the greater the chance of recovery.
Preventive actions are:
- buy products only fresh and only from trusted manufacturers;
- do not abuse alcohol;
- ensure thorough disinfection of instruments in beauty salons and at the dentist;
- avoid unprotected sexual contacts;
- adhere to principles healthy image life and nutrition;
- do not get carried away with taking medications;
- If you suspect an illness, consult a doctor promptly;
- take hepatoprotectors if you are predisposed to pathology.
Those working in enterprises with hazardous conditions must comply with all established precautions.
Treatment of liver diseases
It is based on both lifestyle changes, switching to a healthy diet and giving up bad habits, and taking medications, which are also called hepatoprotectors. These are drugs that maintain the optimal condition of the liver for good functioning and help restore its functions.
Basic medications for liver disease:
- “fanDetox” is a drug based on plant extracts, which not only promotes metabolism and improves liver functionality, but also strengthens the heart;
- "Liv 52". It contains chicory, yarrow and other natural ingredients. Prescribed when various types cirrhosis and hepatitis, acts as an excellent hepatoprotector, taken both preventively and remedy, both for adults and for children over 5 years of age.
- "heptral" additionally acts as an antidepressant, is widely used for the treatment of chronic alcoholics and drug addicts, with severe intoxication of the body, but has many side effects;
- “karsil” is a drug that helps improve metabolism and weight loss, is well tolerated;
- “Essentiale Forte” consists of natural ingredients, has a large number of positive effects, and can also be prescribed to pregnant women.
Professional advice from doctors on liver care:
Homeopathic remedies are also widely used - for example, Galstena, as well as food additives, such as Ovesol.
Physical exercise is also recommended for liver disease. They help relieve spasms of the gallbladder, improve the metabolic process, restore the cardiovascular and nervous system, and strengthen the abdominal muscles.
Causes of liver diseases
The main factors provoking the development of pathology are:
Often, one or another illness is caused by excessive exposure to radiation, for example, while working in industrial plants or chemical plants.
Cirrhosis, hepatitis, hepatosis - these terrible words have long been known to everyone. Unfortunately, liver diseases do not lose their high positions among the list of other diseases. Medicine has made great strides in the treatment of this important gland, but either patients seek help quite late, or the aggressiveness of the impact external environment It gets worse every year, but there are no fewer patients. It is important to know the main symptoms of liver disease, when you need to seek qualified help, and when you can cope with the problems yourself.
Why does the body need a liver?
The liver is considered one of the largest glands of the human body. It has a soft consistency, a red-brown tint, and is elastic. The organ occupies most of the abdominal cavity. In an adult, the gland weighs about 1500 g. A person is not able to live without the liver, since its functions are very important:
- cleanses the body of toxic substances;
- takes part in the process of hematopoiesis;
- occupies a leading place in the processes of metabolism of protein, lipids, vitamins and other vital substances;
- Thanks to the presence of the gallbladder and bile ducts, it takes part in digestion.
The gland tissue consists of hepatocyte cells. The outside of the gland is covered with Glisson's capsule. Inside the liver there are veins of connective tissue that divide the organ into separate parts - lobules. In the human liver, such layers are less pronounced than in the gland of animals. Vessels and bile duct. The gland cells are arranged in the form of cords, with small capillaries between them. Each hepatocyte is in contact with the bile capillary on one side and with the blood capillary on the other.
Important! This interesting structure ensures the continuous participation of the organ in the processes of bile formation and metabolism of proteins, fats, amino acids, vitamins, glucose, etc.
Can your liver hurt? The gland tissue itself does not have receptors, so it does not cause pain. The symptom appears only in the case of liver enlargement and compression of neighboring organs. The gallbladder is an organ whose main function is to store bile. It resembles a pear in shape. The gallbladder is located on the surface of the liver, and its edge protrudes slightly beyond the edge of the gland. The volume of the bubble reaches 70 ml, length – 10 cm.
Liver and gallbladder with the biliary tract are closely related to each other, so usually a pathological process in one of the organs entails changes in the rest. As a rule, inflammatory liver diseases initially appear. Next, it is worth mentioning the main pathologies: hepatitis, cirrhosis, hepatosis.
Why do problems appear?
Common causes of pathologies:
- poor nutrition;
- alcohol abuse;
- long-term use of medications that have hepatotoxic effects;
- infections of viral origin;
- inactive lifestyle;
- concomitant gastrointestinal diseases;
- hazards of industrial production.
These foods deal a devastating blow to liver health.
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a group called inflammatory diseases liver. All of them have similar symptoms and are manifested by the gradual death of hepatocytes. Common cause development of hepatitis are viruses (A, B, C, D, E). Pathologies can also occur as a result of autoimmune processes, due to the influence of alcohol and medications. Viral hepatitis is more dangerous because some genotypes of pathogens can mutate during life in the host’s body. This greatly complicates treatment.
The hepatitis virus penetrates the human body, namely the liver cells. Here the active process of its reproduction begins, the result of which is acute inflammation. The virus increases the permeability of hepatocyte walls. From the extracellular space, fluid penetrates into the cells, the latter increase in size, which means the size of the gland increases.
The destruction of hepatocytes leads to the release of their cellular enzymes into large quantities into the bloodstream. It is the determination of the amount of these substances that makes it possible to confirm or refute the presence of liver pathologies. Gradually, more and more hepatocytes die. Vivid symptoms are observed when the liver is damaged by hepatitis A and E viruses. Hepatitis B and C can occur unnoticed, which is why patients turn to specialists already in advanced stages.
Hepatitis A
Another name for liver disease in children and adults is Botkin’s disease. In its pathogenesis, the pathology resembles intestinal infection, since a person becomes infected after consuming contaminated foods and water, through contact and household transmission. Children of school and preschool age are most often affected, but large outbreaks of the disease occur every decade.
The causative agent of hepatitis A is an RNA virus that is resistant to external influence and can persist in soil and water for a long time. Botkin's disease does not develop into cirrhosis or cancer; it is not characterized by a chronic course or viral carriage. However, if an already diseased liver encounters the hepatitis A virus, the pathology occurs in a rapid form, which ends in liver failure.
The first symptoms develop within a month from the moment of infection. The pre-icteric period lasts about a week. At this time, patients usually consult a doctor with flu-like complaints:
- increased body temperature;
- aches;
- chills;
- pain in muscles and joints.
Sometimes attacks of nausea and vomiting occur, appetite disappears, chronic weakness and abdominal pain appear. The next period is icteric. First of all, the color of urine and feces changes. Urine becomes darker, and feces, on the contrary, become lighter. Yellowness of the skin and mucous membranes, sclera, and itching of the skin appears. The temperature usually normalizes during this period. When examining the patient, the doctor discovers an increase in the size of the liver and moderate pain on palpation.
The lightning form develops quickly. Patients become aggressive, irritable, quickly get tired, and refuse to eat. A specific ammonia odor appears from the body and in the exhaled air. There is vomiting mixed with blood, internal bleeding. This form of the disease occurs in only 0.5% of clinical cases.
Maintaining good hygiene helps prevent outbreaks of Botkin's disease
Important! After the disease, lifelong immunity is maintained, that is, the body becomes immune to new infection by the virus.
Hepatitis E
The hepatitis E virus predominantly affects young people (14–30 years old). Its transmission mechanism is similar to the previous one, that is, infection of people occurs from those who excrete pathogens in feces, as well as through food and water. The causative agent is an RNA virus. The first symptoms appear within 2 months. The clinical picture occurs in three periods: pre-icteric, icteric, and recovery.
The first period is characterized by weakness, digestive disorders, fever is observed less frequently than with hepatitis A. Appears It's a dull pain on the right under the ribs, in the stomach area. The icteric period proceeds similarly to liver damage by the A-type virus. The disease is dangerous for pregnant women. If infected during pregnancy, women almost always lose their fetus.
Hepatitis B
This type of viral liver inflammation is considered dangerous due to severe complications, which are fibrosis, cirrhosis and cancer. Every year more than 600 thousand patients die. The pathogen enters the human body as follows:
- transfusion of infected blood;
- contact of the patient’s blood with the mucous membranes or damaged skin of a healthy person;
- sexual transmission, especially for homosexuals;
- tattooing, performing manipulations, including medical ones, with poorly processed instruments;
- among drug addicts who use one syringe.
Important! If a woman becomes infected while pregnant, there is a high probability that the baby will be born with the disease.
The incubation period lasts from 2 to 6 months. The pre-icteric stage lasts several weeks. Usually patients do not even know that they are faced with a very serious problem. Only 10% of patients complain of joint pain, weakness, and skin manifestations in the form of rashes and spots. The period of jaundice continues for a month. The following problems arise:
- nausea;
- feeling of heaviness on the right under the ribs;
- bitterness in the mouth;
- itchy skin;
- the skin acquires a more yellow tint;
- the size of the liver and spleen increases.
The chronic form of the disease is mild or asymptomatic. Sometimes patients complain of increased fatigue, lack of appetite, sweating, drowsiness, and a feeling of bitterness in the mouth. Skin manifestations characterized by the appearance spider veins on the face, hands, stomach. The palms acquire a specific red tint.
Hepatitis C
This variant of liver inflammation is called the “gentle killer” and often occurs in a chronic form. Until the stage of cirrhosis, it may not even have manifestations, that is, the disease can be recognized on early stages This is only possible if you undergo regular medical examinations. Previously, the infection was called “neither A, nor B” hepatitis. If a vaccine has been developed against hepatitis B, then scientists cannot accumulate the causative agents of hepatitis C outside the human body in order to create a similar means for prevention.
The virus is insidious due to its large number of variations
There are 6 known genotypes of the pathogen, each of which has a number of subtypes. If we talk about the European part of Russia, genotypes 1b and 3a predominate here. The first symptoms of the disease appear within 1.5–2 months. Acute phase hepatitis C often goes unnoticed because it can be asymptomatic. Other patients turn to specialists with the following complaints:
- fast fatiguability;
- decreased appetite;
- attacks of nausea;
- pain with right side under the ribs;
- slight yellowness of the skin and sclera.
The acute phase of liver inflammation has two outcomes: recovery, transition to chronic form. If a person becomes a chronic carrier of the virus, the disease subsides for many years, but at the same time the person is a source of infection for others. The duration of the remission phase depends on the patient’s lifestyle, nutritional principles, level physical activity, drinking alcohol, taking hepatotoxic drugs, etc.
Statistics show that remission usually ends after 10–13 years, cirrhosis occurs after 15–20 years, and liver cancer develops after another 10 years. The numbers are disappointing, but the development of pathologies can be avoided. To do this, you must strictly follow the advice of specialists regarding nutrition, completely abstain from alcohol, and take according to the following schedule: necessary medications, visit specialists on time and undergo regular scheduled studies.
Cirrhosis of the liver
Chronic liver diseases include cirrhosis. This serious pathology, the causes of which are most often untreated viral hepatitis and alcohol abuse. The condition is characterized by the fact that a certain part of the gland cells dies, and in their place appears connective tissue which cannot perform liver function. The changes observed in cirrhosis affect the functioning of other vital organs, such as the pancreas. The outcome of the disease is disability, cancer and even death.
Cirrhosis is characterized by the following manifestations:
- increased body temperature;
- chills;
- hepato- and splenomegaly;
- unhealthy yellowness of the skin, sclera and mucous membranes;
- red “liver” palms;
- spider veins on the skin;
- changes in visual acuity;
- swelling;
- accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity (ascites).
Ascites is a manifestation of portal hypertension syndrome
The patient is bothered by aching pain in the right hypochondrium, in the pit of the stomach, on the left under the ribs and from the back if the pancreas is involved in the pathological process. Against the background of chronic pathology, the tongue becomes crimson, covered with a white coating (it is important to differentiate it from scarlet fever). Against the background of cirrhosis, disorders develop from endocrine system. In women, the menstrual cycle disappears or is disrupted, infertility appears, and the size of the mammary glands increases.
Alcoholic liver disease
Cirrhosis, which develops against the background of alcohol abuse, is quite common. Drinking 100 ml of strong alcohol daily increases the risk of developing the disease by 20 times for men and 500 times for women. Of course, it is not necessary for cirrhosis to appear in the background of alcohol. Ethanol “hits” the weakest point in the body. For some it is the brain, for others it is the heart and blood vessels, for others it is the liver. But if the liver is damaged, problems with other internal organs will certainly occur.
What are the forms of alcoholic liver disease: alcoholic hepatitis, steatosis (fatty liver), cirrhosis. Against the background of any of these pathologies, a change occurs mental state patient. In parallel, the stomach and intestinal tract, blood vessels, kidneys, and endocrine apparatus are involved in the process. Progression of the disease leads to coma and death.
Tumors
Liver neoplasms can be benign or malignant. Cysts, adenomas, hemangiomas (vascular tumors), and nodular hyperplasia are considered benign. The most common are hemangiomas. They slowly increase in size and may have absolutely no effect on the functioning of the gland. The large size of the tumors causes a feeling of discomfort in the liver and stomach, and a feeling of pressure. Patients may complain of shortness of breath, hyperthermia, and jaundice of the skin.
Important! Tumors are surgical diseases of the liver, which are treated by hepatologists together with doctors from the surgery department.
Malignant processes can be primary, if the tumor appeared directly in the liver, and metastatic, when cancer cells entered the gland from another organ. Liver cancer can be suspected if the patient complains of weight loss without visible reasons, abdominal pain, deterioration in general health, increased jaundice.
Acute liver dystrophy
This is a terminal condition, which is characterized by disruption of all vital processes of the gland. The reasons for the development of acute dystrophy may be hepatitis A, severe intoxication of the body with chemicals, taking high doses of alcohol, using a number of medications, and poisoning with certain mushrooms.
The gland decreases in size, and a persistent ammonia odor appears from the patient’s body and mouth. Patients become emotionally unstable: attacks of excitement are replaced by apathy. Later comes coma. Only intensive therapy can help a sick person with acute hepatic dystrophy, but more often the prognosis is unfavorable.
How to diagnose problems?
Liver diseases in children and adults are confirmed by laboratory and instrumental diagnostics, which are prescribed after collecting a history of life and illness, as well as a complete visual examination and palpation of the right hypochondrium. Laboratory methods are based:
- on the study of pigment metabolism (quantitative indicators of bilirubin fractions in the blood and urine);
- determining the level of bile acids in bile (increased numbers indicate a violation of the outflow of bile);
- study of quantitative indicators of proteins;
- analysis of the blood coagulation system (amount of prothrombin);
- determining the amount of liver cell enzymes in the blood (ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase).
Blood biochemistry is based on the collection of biomaterial from a vein with further study of its composition
The table below shows the main diagnosed indicators, their norms and diseases for which an increase or decrease in numbers is observed. Diagnosis is carried out using a general blood test and biochemical analysis.
| Indicators | Norms | Diseases with increasing numbers | Diseases with decreasing numbers |
| Bilirubin | 3.5-20.5 µmol/l, in newborns up to 210 µmol/l | Jaundice due to poisoning, infections, oncology, cirrhosis | IHD, sometimes due to taking a number of medications |
| Direct fraction of bilirubin | 0.5-1 µmol/l | Hepatitis, poisoning, tumors | - |
| Indirect bilirubin fraction | Up to 16.5 µmol/l | Hemolytic anemia, infectious diseases | - |
| Bile acids | Less than 10 µmol/l | Viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, alcoholic liver damage | - |
| Total protein | 64-84 g/l | Oncology, dehydration, autoimmune processes | Cirrhosis, hepatitis |
| Prothrombin | 78-142 % | - | Hepatitis, cirrhosis |
| ALT | 28-190mmol/l | Cirrhosis, jaundice, oncology | Necrosis, cirrhosis |
| AST | 28-125 mmol/l | Oncology, hepatitis | Necrosis, liver rupture |
| Alkaline phosphatase | Up to 270 U/l | Cirrhosis, necrosis, hepatitis | Diseases not related to liver pathologies |
Viral hepatitis is confirmed by clarifying the presence of antigens to pathogens, and the presence of DNA or RNA viruses in the patient’s body is also determined.
Instrumental diagnostic methods:
- Ultrasound is a method that uses ultrasound to clarify the presence of tumors, cysts and other formations. You can assess the state of blood flow, the size of the gland;
- CT and MRI are research methods that allow using x-ray radiation, as well as magnetic and radio waves, evaluate the structure and condition of the organ, the presence of neoplasms, study sections, vascular patency, etc.;
- liver elastometry and fibrotest - a method that allows you to assess the degree of fibrotic changes;
- biopsy – is carried out to remove part of the gland tissue for further histological examination. Usually the process is controlled using ultrasound;
- scintigraphy - the condition of an organ is studied using radioactive isotopes; it is used less frequently than other research methods.
Diet and regimen
Nutrition correction and lifestyle changes – important conditions for rapid liver regeneration. The gland is capable of repairing itself, but it needs support in this. Experts recommend completely abstaining from alcohol, reducing the amount of carbohydrates in food, limiting baked goods, pasta, store-bought sauces, mushrooms, coffee and cocoa.
The treating specialist will tell you in more detail about correcting your diet.
You should avoid fried, smoked, canned, sour and spicy foods. Preference is given to stewed, boiled, steamed dishes. Every day you can eat vegetables, herbs, lean fish and meats, fermented milk products, fruits and cereals. Doctors also recommend giving up “eating on the go” and evening overeating. It is better to eat often, but in small portions. All these points, combined with a sedentary lifestyle, provoke the development of obesity.
Excess weight is a concomitant pathology that aggravates problems with the hepatobiliary system. The gland suffers first of all, since obesity causes steatosis (excess lipids accumulate in the cells of the organ) or, as the condition is also called, “fatty liver”. The addition of the inflammatory process leads to a gradual transition of the disease to fibrosis and cirrhosis.
Prevention of obesity involves daily dosed physical activity. There is no need to lift weights or run 3-5 kilometer runs several times a week. This will not bring the expected result. If you have liver diseases, you can do a light set of exercises, walk in the fresh air before bed, do swimming, and yoga.
Treatment
If your liver is sick, you don’t need to know the names effective drugs relatives and friends who have similar problems. It is better to contact a qualified specialist to make a correct diagnosis. After all, depending on what problem the patient came with, the doctor will select the necessary treatment regimen.
Drugs
The most commonly used groups of medications for the treatment of liver diseases:
- Hepatoprotectors are a group whose representatives protect gland cells from negative influences, help restore hepatocyte membranes, and support the detoxification function of the organ. Hepatoprotectors have several subgroups.
- Vitamins are an essential part of therapy. Vitamin E, A or vitamin complexes(Aevit, Revit).
- Choleretic agents are used to improve the outflow of bile by relaxing the walls of the gallbladder or, conversely, increasing its tone.
- Homeopathic medicines are not prescribed by every doctor, so if you wish, you should find a qualified homeopath.
- Antiviral - used for hepatitis.
- Anthelmintic - prescribed in case of damage to the gland by Giardia, Echinococcus, Ascaris.
The correct combination of drugs allows you to achieve effective results
Other methods
Other methods are also used in the treatment of pathologies of the hepatobiliary system:
- tubage (blind probing);
- complexes physical exercise before probing;
- hirudotherapy;
- massage;
- acupressure.
Surgical methods are also used, including gland resection and organ transplantation.
Disease Prevention
Prevention of the development of pathologies consists of the following: compliance with technologies for processing hazardous waste, testing water and products for the absence of infection, avoiding alcohol abuse, proper nutrition and regimen. It is important to undergo periodic examinations, observe personal hygiene rules, and use condoms. At blood transfusion stations, standards for examining biomaterial must be observed; timely vaccination and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases are also necessary.
All organs are important in their own way, but there are also those without which a person simply cannot exist. The liver is one of the main “elements” of the body; it performs many useful functions. Given the heavy loads, this organ often suffers from inflammatory processes of varying severity. Symptoms of liver disease depend on the specific type of illness and its stage. Today, cirrhosis, hepatitis, toxic lesions, and stone formation are often diagnosed. The signs of such diseases differ. If the liver hurts, what symptoms does a person have?
What are the symptoms of liver disease?
There are common symptoms of liver disease:
- painful, aching sensations under the ribs, which are intensified by physical activity, eating fried, spicy, fatty foods;
- nausea, vomiting;
- significant loss of appetite;
- severe heartburn, frequent belching;
- lethargy, weakness, decreased performance.
The first signs of a diseased liver
Signs of a diseased liver in women and men have some distinctive features. In general, the disease progresses similarly in both sexes. Symptoms are divided into internal and external manifestations liver inflammation. Internal signs:
- sharp pain on the right side under the ribs;
- digestive problems;
- abdominal enlargement;
- nausea;
- hair loss;
- darkening of urine;
- the appearance of a feeling of heaviness in the right hypochondrium, which is preceded by the absorption of fried, spicy foods high in calories.
External symptoms of a diseased liver, which can be seen in the photo, appear on the skin:
- jaundice: the mucous membranes and skin acquire an unhealthy yellowish tint, which is visible to the naked eye;
- rashes, itching;
- psoriasis, eczema: spots with a rough surface that occur mainly on the head and upper torso.
Liver diseases and their symptoms
Liver ailments are big list diseases that differ in their causes and symptoms. This article will discuss lesions of an important organ, which are more common than other ailments. Let's talk about the symptoms of liver disease due to hepatitis, cirrhosis, toxic ailments, and the formation of stones. If signs appear that indicate liver problems, you should consult your doctor immediately.
Liver cirrhosis in men and women
Liver cirrhosis refers to extensive lesions due to which healthy tissues atrophy, gradually turning into scar tissue. Due to this replacement, nodes of different sizes are formed, which significantly modify the structure of the “filtering” organ. Men get sick much more often than the fair sex. What are the symptoms of liver cirrhosis? This question interests many. These include:
- the first signs of liver cirrhosis are yellowing of the skin, mucous membranes, as well as rapid weight loss accompanied by decreased appetite;
- severe weakness, increased fatigue, drowsiness;
- the appearance of “stars” from blood vessels on the skin that turn pale when pressed;
- skin itching, worse at night;
- dark yellow color of urine;
- frequent formation of bruises on the skin;
- how the liver hurts with cirrhosis: it feels sharp, severe pain under the ribs on the right side of the body;
- symptoms of liver disease in women are supplemented by dysfunction of the menstrual cycle, in men – by impotence.
Toxic damage
A complex of diseases associated with the damaging effects of various factors is toxic liver damage. Substances that cause poisoning can be drugs, household chemicals, foods (for example, mushrooms), radiation and so on. Due to the influence of the factors described above, changes are observed that become a catalyst for disruption of the proper functioning of the liver and can lead to failure. Liver problems of this nature are characterized by symptoms combined into syndromes. Types of liver intoxication syndromes:
- Cytolysis is a failure of the permeability of hepatocyte walls; liver cells die with prolonged exposure to toxic substances. Signs:
- the activity of the enzymes AST, ALT, LDH increases;
- the amount of vitamin B and iron in the blood changes.
- Cholestatic syndrome is characterized by an interruption in the flow of the required amount of bile into the intestinal system. Symptoms:
- the liver enlarges;
- irritation and itching appear on the skin;
- urine darkens, stool becomes lighter;
- the skin, mucous membranes of the eyes, and saliva turn yellow;
- general health worsens.
- Signs of dyspeptic syndrome:
- pain in the abdomen, under the ribs, near the pancreas, bloating;
- nausea, vomiting;
- decreased appetite;
- increase in liver volume.
- The specifics of hepatocellular failure are as follows:
- the appearance of “stars” on the skin;
- redness of the face, palms, or soles;
- jaundice;
- extension salivary glands;
- in men, there is an increase in adipose tissue, testicular atrophy, erectile dysfunction and an increase in mammary glands;
- points white on the nails;
- bruising;
- curvature of the tendons in the hands.
- Hepatargia is a severe stage of liver failure, which affects the functioning of the central nervous system and brain. Hepatargia can manifest itself as follows:
- various mental disorders;
- a special, unpleasant odor from the mouth;
- coma.
Stones
The appearance of stones is considered a consequence of gallstone disease. Signs of this type of ailment do not manifest themselves for a long period, up to 2-3 years. Symptoms of liver disease, which is caused by the formation of stones, include the following:
- hepatic colic, which often occurs when stones move along the path of the capillaries of the gallbladder or inflammation of the ducts;
- feeling of dryness in the mouth;
- nausea;
- bowel dysfunction (constipation);
- darkening of urine, stool becomes light, acquires a sour odor;
- a yellowish coating appears on the tongue;
- restlessness, pain in the heart area, convulsions may occur periodically.
Hepatitis
Hepatitis of various types - ailments that primarily affect human liver, leading to inflammation in the organ. There are three groups of hepatitis:
- viral diseases: A, B, C, D, E, F;
- toxic hepatitis;
- autoimmune.
All general signs of liver damage by any type of hepatitis are classified into early and late manifestations of the disease. Optional, first symptoms of hepatitis:
- temperature increase;
- painful sensations under the ribs on the right;
- the appearance of rashes on the skin;
- decreased appetite;
- pain and aches in the joints, severe weakness.
More late signs liver inflammation:
- jaundice;
- obvious darkening of urine;
- lightening, sometimes complete discoloration of feces;
- nausea, vomiting;
Which doctor should I consult if my liver hurts?
If the above-described symptoms associated with liver diseases are observed, then it is necessary to undergo mandatory examination by specialists. You need to seek help from a therapist, talk with a gastroenterologist and a surgeon. It is also worth visiting the main specialist in liver diseases - a hepatologist. The therapist conducts a general examination and, if necessary, writes out referrals for tests and other doctors.
A gastroenterologist deals with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and the functioning of the digestive system. He prescribes therapeutic measures when a patient is diagnosed with cirrhosis and abscess in the liver, hepatitis B and C. The hepatologist has a narrow specialization, is responsible for the functioning of the liver, rehabilitation period after organ transplantation. Sometimes the therapist recommends visiting an oncologist who can determine liver cancer and advanced stage cirrhosis.
Video about alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver
The inflammatory process, often caused by excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, needs mandatory treatment. An advanced form of cirrhosis can lead to serious consequences and even death. After watching the video, you can learn about the full symptoms, the main causes of the disease, the diagnosis of cirrhosis and how to treat it.
Attention! The information presented in the article is for informational purposes only. The materials in the article do not encourage self-treatment. Only a qualified doctor can make a diagnosis and give treatment recommendations based on the individual characteristics of a particular patient.
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Signs of liver disease