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Q: 

How do u know if u hav liver damage?

By Anonymous January 9, 2012 - 5:10am
 
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Hi Anon,

Classic symptoms of liver disease include:

Fatigue,weaknessandweight lossmay also be occur.

However, since there are a variety of liver diseases, the symptoms tend to be specific for that illness until late-stage liver disease and liver failure occurs.

Examples of liver disease symptoms due to certain conditions or diseases include:

  • A person with gallstones may experience right upper abdominal pain and vomiting after eating a greasy (fatty) meal. If the gallbladder becomes infected, fever may occur.

  • Gilbert's disease have no symptoms.

  • Individuals with cirrhosis will develop progressive symptoms as the liver fails. Some symptoms are directly related to the inability of the liver to metabolize the body's waste products. Others reflect the failure of the liver to manufacture proteins required for body function and may affect blood clotting function, secondary sex characteristics and brain function. Symptoms of cirrhosis of the liver include: 

    • easy bruising may occur due to decreased production of clotting factors; 

    • bile salts can deposit in the skin causing itching

    • gynecomastia or enlarged breasts in men may occur because of an imbalance in sex hormones; specifically an increase in estradiol; 

    • impotence (erectile dysfunction, ED), poor sex drive and shrinking testicles are due to decrease in function of sex hormones;

    • confusion and lethargy may occur if ammonia levels rise in the blood stream (ammonia is a waste product formed from protein metabolism and requires normal liver cells to remove it); 

    • ascites (fluid accumulation within the abdominal cavity) occurs because of decreased protein production; and

    • muscle wasting may occur because of reduced protein production.

If you suspect that you may have some type of liver damage, please consult with your doctor.

Best,

Rosa

January 9, 2012 - 5:15am
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