A 2023 AIIMS study revealed that about 38% of Indians had a non-alcoholic fatty liver. Another report shows every four out of five people in India has some kind of liver problem.
And yet another statistic reveals that around 2 million people die across the globe due to liver-related problems like cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure.
In this article, we want to walk you through some liver damage symptoms that if you get, you should not ignore.
Liver damage has become an epidemic in India as well as internationally.
But we must realize that it is stemming from our unhealthy lifestyle. Some of the main causes of liver damage are excessive alcohol consumption, fatty liver disease, hepatitis, and others.
The liver is characterized as the “silent organ” because indications of liver failure sometimes go untreated.
When signs like jaundice appear, the illness will have progressed to an advanced level. When your liver function deteriorates, you will feel sluggish, weary, and lose your appetite. Therefore, you must recognize the symptoms and get checked in time.
5 Common Liver Damage Symptoms
1. Jaundice
The recycling of old or damaged red blood cells breaks down hemoglobin, which carries oxygen, to generate bilirubin. The liver excretes bilirubin from the circulation.
Bilirubin enters the digestive tract through the bile ducts to be excreted. Most bilirubin is removed in stool, but some in urine. Bilirubin accumulates in the blood and skin if the liver and bile ducts cannot transfer it rapidly. This effect is termed jaundice.
If people consume a lot of beta-carotene-rich foods (such as carrots, squash, and some melons), their skin may turn slightly yellow, but their eyes do not. This is not a jaundice symptom and is not associated with liver disease.
The most common reasons for jaundice include:
- Hepatitis is an alcohol-related liver illness.
- An obstruction of a bile duct caused by a gallstone or tumor.
- A harmful response to a medication or medical herb.
2. Fatigue
Fatigue is the most commonly reported symptom of liver disease.
Although the underlying pathophysiology of weariness in liver illness is still poorly understood, it appears to include alterations in central neurotransmission caused by communication between the sick liver and the brain.
While it is very natural to be tired after a long day of work. Also, too much stress can trigger intense fatigue from time to time. But, it becomes a cause of worry if it lasts longer than usual.
If you experience dizziness or other fatigue symptoms like shortness of breath, get checked by your doctor immediately.
3. Dark Urine
If you believe you are getting enough water but your urine is still dark, it could be an early sign of liver disease. Because of the bilirubin buildup, the pee may be brown, amber, or even orange.
The color of your pee can change if you take certain medicines, have too much vitamin B, have a UTI, have an enzyme disorder, or have problems with your kidneys.
When we have certain urinary tract infections, our urine can turn dark brown. And so can a hemorrhage, which is bleeding inside the body.
Porphyria is a group of diseases that mostly affect the skin or the nervous system. They can also cause brown urine.
4. Upper Right Abdominal Pain
Your upper abdomen is the part of your belly that is above your ribs and below your belly button. A lot of different things can cause abdominal pain, so doctors split the abdomen into sections to help narrow down the list.
When your liver hurts your upper abdomen can also ache, it’s generally because of hepatitis, an inflammation that can have many short-term and long-term causes.
Pain is more likely to be caused by recent events, like hepatitis caused by drugs or alcohol or a viral illness. Not as often, liver cancer is the cause.
5. Loss of Appetite
One of the main causes of loss of appetite is chronic liver damage. When someone has liver disease, their ghrelin levels don’t rise before a meal. This means that ghrelin doesn’t have its normal effect of making them hungry and starting a meal.
Additional Liver Damage Symptoms to be Aware of
It’s not always possible to see or feel signs of liver cancer. If there are signs of liver disease, they could be:
- Pain and swelling in the belly
- Pain and swelling in the legs and feet
- Skin that hurts
- Sickness or throwing up
- Bruising easily
Potential Causes of Liver Damage
Liver damage happens largely due to an unhealthy lifestyle. These can be considered its main causes
- Viral infections: Viral hepatitis infections that become chronic can result in chronic hepatitis, such as hepatitis B or C.
- Alcohol-induced hepatitis: Heavy alcohol consumption might result in acute or chronic hepatitis. If it persists long enough, it can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure.
- Toxic hepatitis: Chronic overexposure to toxins, such as industrial chemicals or pharmaceuticals, can result in acute or chronic hepatitis.
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Metabolic disorders such as obesity, high blood sugar, and high blood lipids can induce excess fat storage in your liver, resulting in inflammation.
- Cardiovascular illness: Conditions that influence blood flow to and from the liver, such as Budd-Chiari syndrome, ischemia, vascular disorders, and right-sided heart failure, can cause chronic liver damage.
Conclusion
The liver is the main engine of our digestive system. If it remains healthy, our bodily processes also remain smooth. Therefore, we must understand that our unhealthy lifestyle is the main cause of these liver damage symptoms.
We undermine our alcohol activities and excess fat consumption but they are the main roots of chronic liver diseases like cirrhosis, fatty liver, and even cancer. So, live right to keep your liver right and healthy.
