Symptoms of Liver Disease: Causes, Treatment, and Prevention

KOMPAS.com – Liver disease is a condition in which there is a decrease in function or damage to the liver.

The liver is an organ that functions to help the human body digest food, store energy and eliminate toxins.

Most types of liver disease do not cause any symptoms in the early stages. However, if you start to feel the symptoms, it means the liver is damaged and injured.

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Reporting from the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) page, symptoms of liver disease can vary, but often include swelling of the stomach and legs, easy bruising, and yellowing of the skin and eyes.

Liver disease is caused by several factors, for example viruses (such as hepatitis), drugs, toxins, or consuming too much alcohol.

This condition can also be caused by liver cancer and hereditary diseases, such as hemochromatosis and Wilson’s disease.

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End-stage liver disease refers to decompensated cirrhosis and liver failure, in which your liver loses its ability to regenerate and slowly declines.

The most significant side effects of end-stage liver disease are portal hypertension and primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma).

Complications from these two conditions are the main cause of hospitalization and death in people with cirrhosis and liver failure.

Also read: Symptoms of Liver Disease that Can Be Seen on the Skin

Signs of liver disease on the face

One of the symptoms of liver disease that can be seen on the face is jaundice, where the whites of the eyes will turn yellow. This condition also occurs on the skin.

You may start to feel these symptoms when liver function begins to decline. This occurs in the late stages of liver disease.

Reporting from the Cleveland Clinic page, the yellow color of the sclera (the white part of the eye) is caused by high levels of bilirubin, a yellow-orange bile pigment.

Bile is a fluid secreted by the liver, and bilirubin is formed from the breakdown of red blood cells.

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One of the first side effects of decreased liver function is the cessation of bile flow in your bile ducts.

The liver no longer produces or sends bile effectively to the small intestine. On the other hand, bile starts to leak into your bloodstream.

This condition causes a number of symptoms of liver disease, such as dark urine, itchy skin without a rash, weight loss, and yellow discoloration of the sclera of the eyes.

As liver disease progresses, it can affect your blood flow, hormones, and nutritional status.

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Symptoms can appear in various ways, including small yellow bumps from fatty deposits on your skin or eyelids.

Additionally, you may notice signs of fluid leaking from your blood vessels and building up in your body, in the form of ascites and edema.

Ascites is swelling of the stomach, while edema is swelling of the face, ankles and hands.

Also read: Hepatitis: Symptoms, Causes, and How to Prevent

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2023-12-12 14:30:00
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