Enlarged liver signs normally indicate that there is inflammation and swelling in the liver as a result of one of various possible developing liver illnesses. A person who has symptoms of liver enlargement should seek medical treatment as soon as possible. usually, by the time signs and symptoms of liver enlargement can be diagnosed, substantial liver damage has perhaps already occurred. If the deterioration in function is not slowed or stopped, it may eventually result in liver failure. Once the liver has failed, a liver transplant is the patient's only possibility for survival.
The medical term for an enlarged liver is hepatomegaly.
An enlarged liver is not regarded as a disease. it is more an indication that there's a problem of some kind with liver function.
There are no early signs and symptoms of liver enlargement. but if the underlying disease is not isolated and treated, the liver will ultimately get so enlarged that the following signs will start appearing.
abdominal pain and discomfort
a feeling of fullness in the upper abdomen and lower stomach
abdominal fluid accumulation (a malady called ascites)
lowered hunger for food
discomfort in muscles and joints
a cough that doesn't come from a respiratory infection
A change in bowel habits, with episodes of constipation or diarrhea
weakness and continual feelings of low energy
episode of sickness and vomiting, occasionally accompanied by fever
urine may perhaps begin to look dark or cloudy
Patients who have symptoms and signs of hepatomegaly often have an atypical sensitivity to light referred to as photophobia. Sense of smell can also be heightened, and a variety of commonplace odors may perhaps become offensive.
Jaundice is one of the few concrete signs of a liver condition. When you have jaundice, your skin and the whites of your eyes appear yellow. Jaundice occurs when there's an excessive amount of a bile pigment called bilirubin in the body.. too much bilirubin destroys liver tissue, which then causes indications of enlarged liver.
There are numerous other ailments which indicate that some kind of liver disease or damage has started. one is cholestasis, which happens when the flow of bile from the liver has been stopped. Another example is portal hypertension, which is unusually high blood pressure in the portal vein. This blood vessel carries blood from the intestines to the liver.
The physician will want to obtain the results of diagnostic tests to determine how far enlarged liver has progressed. these tests usually include a liver biopsy, liver function tests, an ultrasound or a CT scan.
At times both the liver and spleen get enlarged at once. When this happens, the malady is called hepatosplenomegaly.