Enlarged Liver Symptoms

Symptoms Of An Enlarged Liver And Liver Disease

Enlarged liver symptoms typically indicate one of several possible problems developing in the liver that, if untreated or arrested, could eventually result in serious liver disease.

The goal of this article is to briefly list and describe enlarged liver symptoms for readers with no medical training or background. If you suspect you have enlarged symptoms, please remember that your doctor is your best source of information. Never take any action to relieve or treat enlarged liver symptoms without consulting your doctor.

Enlarged liver symptoms

Unfortunately, by the time enlarged liver symptoms become apparent, there's probably already been a significant amount of liver damage. Although the liver can function at a greatly reduced capacity, once the damage reaches the stage known as liver failure, only a liver transplant can save the patient's life.

In the early stages, a liver that's only slightly enlarged will reveal no symptoms at all. As the liver grows however and becomes grossly enlarged, the following symptoms will begin to appear.

• abdominal discomfort and a feeling of fullness
• reduced appetite and a general lack of interest in eating,
• pain in muscle and joints
• a cough without a cold or respiratory infection
• constipation and diarrhea
• frequent fatigue and a feeling of extreme weariness
• occasional fever
• weakness and low energy
• nausea and vomiting
• increased sensitivity to bright lights
• certain common smells suddenly become disagreeable
• dark or cloudy urine

The following conditions and diseases are also considered to be symptoms of an enlarged liver.

• cholestasis - a condition is indicating that the flow of bile from the liver has been blocked for some reason
• portal hypertension - unusually high blood pressure in the portal vein, which is the large blood vessel that carries blood from the intestine to the liver.
• ascites - an accumulation of fluid in the abdominal area
• liver encephalopathy - this is a reduction in brain function that occurs when toxic substances normally removed by the liver accumulate in the blood and reach the brain.
• jaundice

Jaundice is sometimes the one and only specific symptom of liver disease. Jaundice is a liver disorder that causes the skin and eyes to look yellow. It's caused by an abnormal accumulation of a bile pigment called bilirubin in the blood. High levels of bilirubin result from damage to liver cells, which is the cause of liver enlargement. Jaundice is usually the first sign, and sometimes the only sign, of liver disease.

Liver tests are often necessary because symptoms don't appear until liver disease has advanced to a certain stage. When diagnosing enlarged liver symptoms, a doctor will probably request a liver biopsy, liver function tests, an ultrasound, or a CT scan.

The medical term for an enlarged liver is hepatomegaly. When both the liver and spleen become enlarged, doctors call it hepatosplenomegaly. 

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