The liver is the largest internal organ of our body and is located in the upper right part of the abdominal area. This organ has an important purpose in some metabolic processes of the body. It organizes and releases bile that absorbs fats in the intestine breaks down important body nutrients, manufactures enzymes and proteins, gets rid of toxins, and aids in body detoxification, and a lot more functions are done by the liver. An inflamed liver is a problem that obviously means that the liver is unhealthy.
Inflamed Liver Symptoms
When the liver inflammation occurs for less than 6 months it is called an acute condition while if it persists for more than 6 months it is now called a chronic condition. The liver has a unique ability to work normally even when it is damaged. As a result, in the very first stage, the patient is asymptomatic. They do not experience any pain from liver inflammation.
The following are some of the symptoms of acute inflamed liver:
- Slight and localized pain in the upper right part of the abdominal cavity.
- With more swelling, a person can sense the inflammation in the lower right part of the rib cage and it is painful when touched.
- A persistent feeling of fullness that makes plenty of discomfort.
- Lack of appetite.
- Painful sensations in the muscles and joints that continue for some weeks.
- Unexplained loss of weight.
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In the chronic stage of liver inflammation, the following symptoms can be seen:
Jaundice or yellowish discoloration of the skin and the white part of the eyes.
- Fever
- Dark colored urine
- Pain in the abdomen
- Tenderness near the liver
- Pain may extend up to the right shoulder
- Bloating and flatulence especially after eating fatty or oily foods
- Changes in the lipid levels
- Weakness
- Tiredness
- Sleepiness
Inflamed Liver Causes
When the liver experiences some type of injury or damage, eventually the liver cells will be inflamed. There are some things that can cause this. The following are the usual causes of the inflamed liver:
This is one of the leading causes of inflamed liver. When the liver is inflamed because of a viral infection, it is called hepatitis. There are several kinds of hepatitis viruses. Hepatitis A, B, and C are the most usual virus that causes inflamed liver.
Alcoholic hepatitis is another cause of inflamed liver. This targets people who are heavy alcohol drinkers for a long time. The metabolite of alcohol has a dangerous effect on the liver.
The inflamed liver can also be brought about by the side effects of some medications. It can occur for the reason that drugs as well as illegal drugs are metabolized in the liver. The degree of liver damage brought about by these medications will be based on the dosage and the duration of the drug intake.
Those who have autoimmune problems may also have liver inflammation. This can happen if the immune system destroys the liver cells.
The other factors that can cause inflamed liver are chemical exposure, bacterial infections, unhealthy diet, etc.
Inflamed Liver Diagnosis
Liver Biopsy
Under local anesthesia, a needle is inserted in the lower area of the right chest and a small liver tissue is taken. The sample will be examined under a microscope.
An increased level of liver enzymes may signify liver inflammation or liver damage. The inflamed liver releases an increased number of certain enzymes into the blood circulation that resulted in increased liver enzymes seen on the blood tests.
The most usually seen elevated liver enzymes are:
- Alanine transaminase (ALT)
- Aspartate transaminase (AST)
- Increased amounts of liver enzymes may be found during a routine blood examination. In usual situations, liver enzymes are merely slightly and briefly elevated. For the majority of the time, elevated liver enzymes do not signify chronic and severe liver damage.
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Treatment for Inflamed Liver
The treatment for inflamed liver will be based on the degree of damage to the liver. This can be identified with the aid of liver function tests. There is no drug to treat acute viral hepatitis. A person must slow down his or her activities and change his or her diet to help the liver regenerate on its own.
Antiviral drugs are given for the management of chronic viral hepatitis like hepatitis B and C. Milk thistle is a famous herbal tonic, which is used to stop the viral infection. It also encourages the growth of new liver cells and therefore replaces the cells that are damaged. It also stops toxins from entering the healthy liver cells. If the inflamed liver is brought about by a medication that drug must be discontinued or changed after the doctor’s consultation.
The inflamed liver could be a severe problem if proper treatment is not given on time. If the liver continues to be inflamed for a long time, it can result in the death of liver cells and will result in liver scarring. Scarred liver cells will not work normally and will only burden the healthy liver cells. Furthermore, an increased number of scarred liver cells can lead to cirrhosis, permanent liver damage.
Inflamed Liver Diet
The diet has to be a healthy and balanced diet and intake of fatty and processed foods should be avoided. A person must be very careful with his or her caloric consumption and it should not be beyond 3000 calories daily. More fruits and vegetables should be eaten daily. The patient should only eat freshly cooked food. He or she should also drink plenty of water. Drinking alcohol must completely stop.
Signs of Liver Damage
Signs of Liver Damage are usually individuals who think that they might have some kind of liver problem, but it can be a repulsive deed for any person to pinpoint symptoms of liver damage simple-mindedly. Therefore, it is recommended to talk with your physician to confirm any possible liver problem.
This article merely provides information about the usual signs of liver damage and it is strongly recommended to consult professional medical advice from a doctor to confirm liver damage.
The major manifestation of liver damage is jaundice. Constant jaundice means that there is a problem with a person’s gall bladder or liver. Jaundice is the yellowish discoloration of the skin and sometimes even the white part of the eye.
The major purpose of the liver is bile production and once the liver is not appropriately handing out the old venous blood and then not producing the bile appropriately, it can lead to jaundice. If the jaundice comes with flu you need to consult a doctor to verify if a gall bladder infection or acute hepatitis is happening.
One of the most typical symptoms of liver damage is a decrease in appetite that will later on result in loss of weight. Eventually, the condition can be aggravated by improper metabolism of the carbohydrates, fats, and proteins inside the body.
Because of a lack of appetite, the condition can worsen into anemia. It can also lead to a low number of liver cells. Lack of appetite can also sometimes be accompanied by vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea, and because of these symptoms, the body becomes weaker.
Occasionally, blood also comes out together with the vomits brought about by some gastric ulcer inside the body. The development of ulcers can be accelerated by the complicated level of exchanges between histamine, gastrin, nitrogen, bile acids, portal hypertension, and the mucous membrane, which is the stomach lining.
If the discharge of the bile is obstructed because of bile duct blockage or there is a decrease in bile discharge, the stool of the person becomes pale and lighter in color.
There will also be symptoms of bowel irregularities and irritable bowel movements if the person is suffering from liver or gallbladder disease. The human stool is normally dark in color because of the bile. Therefore, having a light-colored stool is a sign that there is decreased bile production or there is an obstruction in the bile duct. The bile duct can become obstructed because of scarring, stones, or swelling of the lining. Gray-colored stool and pale stool are still considered light-colored stools.
Bloating and Abdominal Distention
The abdominal area under the lower ribs on the right side may become bloated due to hepatomegaly (liver enlargement) or ascites. But, if the abdominal distention becomes very serious, then breathing may turn out to be painful because of the pressure it gives on the diaphragm.
Excessive Thirst and Frequent Urination
Excessive thirst medically known as polydipsia and frequent urination medically known as polyuria are also typical symptoms of a lot of other diseases, but liver problems also show these kinds of symptoms.
Symptoms of Liver Damage (Disease)
The following are also considered symptoms of liver problems:
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Stroke
- Mood swings
- Depression
- Ringing in the ears or tinnitus
- Redness and itchy eyes
- Skin problem
- Allergy
- Back pain
- Hypochondriac pain
- Loss of tendons’ and ligaments’ flexibility
- Tics, spasms, and tremors
- Sudden seizures
- Constant irritability
