What to Watch Out For – Symptoms and Early Signs of Liver Disease

Many people experience signs of liver diseases but do not know that they have underlying conditions. Eventually, when they discover after suffering severely, it might be too late for them to treat themselves completely. This is why it is essential to be aware of liver disease symptoms and treat them early. You should understand that late treatment of liver diseases can be fatal and even those who survive are likely to suffer from ongoing health issues

The Early Signs of Liver Disease

You can prevent suffering from chronic liver conditions through timely diagnosis when you notice some unusual symptoms. You should also take a regular liver blood test to avoid complications and uncertainties, as some of these symptoms might not be noticeable in the early stages.

Here are some early signs and symptoms of liver disease.

Eye and Skin Colouration

Eye and skin colouration changes often happen during the early stages of liver diseases. They occur because the liver finds it difficult to remove enough bilirubin from the blood system. As a result, the blood becomes filled with excessive bilirubin, causing the eyes and skin to become yellow. At this stage, the urine colour also gets darker than usual.

Acute Abdomen

Acute abdomen, also known as peritonitis, is where the peritoneum, an abdominal tissue, gets inflamed. It comes with pains in the gut and causes the stomach to swell.

The infection mostly happens due to toxic fluids in the body and often spreads from one abdominal organ to another and eventually enters the bloodstream.

Once it gets to the bloodstream, it can result in sepsis– a condition where antibodies inflame the whole human body. Sepsis often causes multiple organ failures and death.

Malnutrition

Malnutrition is common in people with liver diseases. The liver helps to process nutrients in the body, but when damaged, it can barely perform its function, resulting in weight reduction and bodily weakness.

For instance, people who take alcohol are liable for liver diseases. Their alcohol intake reduces their appetite, nutrient consumption, processing, and storage.

On the other hand, liver diseases can change their metabolic structure, causing them to lose a lot of nutrients.

Maldigestion and Malabsorption

Maldigestion is when the body cannot properly process food in the stomach without essential enzymes. It is caused by a reduction of bile salts in the body, increasing bodily toxins. This condition leads to damage to the pancreas.

Malabsorption, on the other hand, happens mainly in those who consume alcohol. Alcohol fluids are toxic. They affect the small intestine and enterokinases (enzymes in the small intestine). This condition also leads to portal hypertension and intestinal congestion.

Nausea

Nausea happens in the early stages of liver diseases. It occurs when the liver cannot remove toxic fluids from the body. These poisonous materials pile up in the blood, send signals to the brain, and cause nausea.

If not checked early, this sign can worsen into a lack of appetite, severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc. While nausea lasts long and short, you should be more concerned when you constantly get nauseous for an extended period.

Hepatic Encephalopathy

This is a cognitive failure symptom. It happens when the liver fails to remove toxic chemicals from the bloodstream. These harmful fluids reach the brain and distort its regular function. This brain distortion can lead to confusion, thought-processing challenges, memory failure, other cognitive impairments, and even coma.

However, if treated early, the problem can be solved. Hence, you should not take cognitive impairment signs lightly, as they could pose severe threats to life.

Breathing Problems

About 90% of people with liver disease report breathing problems. These problems often happen because of excessive fluids in the abdomen and tissues connecting the chest and lungs. People with breathing difficulties describe them as having a heavy, tight feeling in their chest, a desperate want for air, or a scary feeling of suffocation.

Liver disease patients could also experience breathing difficulties because of an enormous spleen and liver obstructing their diaphragm. Studies show that liver dysfunctions could cause the blood vessels within the lungs to widen, causing the lungs to be unable to oxygenate the body.

Fatigue

Fatigue and tiredness are often experienced during the early days of liver dysfunction. While there are no exact explanations of how fatigue arises from liver disorders, studies show that fatigue occurs when there is an alteration in the central neurotransmission. This means that the affected liver sends information to the brain that makes the body feel fatigued.

Excessive Flatulence

Frequent flatulence and gassy feelings happen as early signs of liver disease. They occur when the liver does not release digestive enzymes. Other symptoms associated with farts are regular bloating and unusual stool pressures.

Inflammation of The Liver

Inflammation of the liver occurs during the early days of liver disease. In this case, the liver swells or inflames. This inflammation is due to the liver’s response to an injury.

This inflammation also happens when there are excessive toxins in the body that the liver can handle. It is vital that this sign is detected early and checked immediately because the liver can still regenerate during early stages. So if treated early, it can heal within a while.

Stay Healthy

You must watch your health with care and diligence. Keeping fit, eating healthily, not smoking and reducing consumption of alcohol can all help reduce the likelihood of developing liver disease.

But awareness of the early symptoms of liver disease is essential to ensure you get appropriate treatment quickly.   do remember that prevention is always better than cure!