Liver pain: Symptoms and Causes
Liver is a very interesting organ in respect to its regenerating property. You might be wondered, if you think, that out of all the human organs, liver is the only one having this capacity. Why is it so? Is this a random phenomenon or a very calculated development through the evolution of organisms? Scientists would incline towards the latter reasoning and the cause for that is the central role that the liver plays in the metabolism. Be it catabolism of bio molecules or their anabolism, liver is directly involved when it comes to the fundamental pathways of both the processes.
This organ can be thought of as a fully functional factory where most of the production, packaging, storage and disposal of bio molecules take place. So, even the slight pain in the liver must not be taken for granted because nothing in this organ happens without a cause. And if the cause of liver pain happens to be something alarming, you may have to face fatal complications. The location of the pain in the liver can vary from under the ribs or upper right side of the abdomen. The aim to study the pain in the liver is actually to understand the potential causes of it, as there are many, and the link of those causes towards a serious liver disease.
Liver pain and other important symptoms of liver disease
Pain in the liver is a very significant symptom of liver disease as all the other symptoms of it can be really deceiving due to their property of being delayed and untargeted. What this means is that, unlike other symptoms, liver pain appears in the patient with this disease early and can directly point to some malfunction in this organ. This pain can range from being subtle to extremely severe.
Any disorder in the body that can initiate swelling and non functionality in the liver is known as liver disease. As there are various conditions that are a potential cause of this liver disorder, the most symptoms of liver disease are not even localized to the liver itself. The only common symptom of liver disease is the pain in the liver regardless of what causes it. This is the reason to not ever avoid this pain as it often is a direct indication of a progressive liver disease.
Other symptoms of this disease are exemplified as follows
- Itchy feet
- Feeling of fullness
- Abdominal swelling
- Jaundice
- Unusual weight loss
- Colouration of urine
As you can see, all these symptoms are actually the symptoms of some other disease and are not localized to liver. So, these symptoms can often be a deceiving factor in the diagnosis of liver disease.
Liver pain causes
All forms of hepatitis
Due to the swelling of liver in disease, pain becomes a prevalent symptom. Usually, hepatitis is caused by viruses such as hepatitis A, B, C, and D among which B, C and D are the deadlier ones. This is because these hepatitis viruses cause fatal inflammation in the liver leading to scarring of it. Ironically, it is fortunate that Hepatitis A and C are the only common viruses in the world. Some causes of hepatitis are:
- Autoimmune disease
- Alcoholism
- Medicinal overdose
Pus in the liver due to infection
Many pathogens can become the cause of liver infection leading to the formation of a sac of pus in this organ. It is a progressive disease, unless immediately treated, and causes the tissue around it become tender enough to be harmed even by a slight damage. Due to the bleeding and inflammation it causes, the first symptom of this disease happens to be pain.
Swelling in the duct of liver
The swelling in the bile duct can cause hindrance in the passage of bile from liver to the gallbladder. This hindrance can even reverse the flow of bile which can damage the liver and even cause jaundice. This swelling is most commonly a result of infection due to bacteria.
Scarring of liver
This is a progressive disease and in many cases reaches to the point where it becomes untreatable. At that point of scarring of liver tissue, the patient is said to have cirrhosis. This liver disease directly affects the liver function as it proceeds and can even affect the regenerating capacity of it. Cirrhosis is the most prevalent cause of complete liver failure around the world and some patients with this disease may also need to have a liver transplant as their final treatment option.
Alcohol and liver. What actually is the connection between them?
As discussed earlier, one of the tasks of the liver is to remove waste from the system by braking down it into excretable forms. Alcohol acts as a waste to the liver which it needs to resolve into smaller waste material. When a person drinks more than his/her liver can manage to process, the excess alcohol cause degradation of liver tissue resulting in scarring. And as we already know, cirrhosis affects the regenerating capacity of the liver. In this way alcohol permanently damages the liver and the alcoholic cirrhosis is much more progressive than the other ones.
How to stay away from liver disease
It is always better to take all the preventive measures for such an important organ to stay healthy. Some of these measures happen to be:
- Stop alcohol intake in the consultation of a doctor
- Never avoid liver pain and get in touch with a professional if you are having one
- Always get vaccinated on time for viruses like hepatitis
- Do not use over the counter medication often
Conclusion
There are only few conditions, like liver pain, in the world for which a person should never delay consulting an experienced doctor. Liver pain causes can really vary from being mild to extremely sever which can damage your liver beyond recovery. This pain is one of the fundamental symptoms of liver disease and can help to identify the cause of it soon enough to survive. What you need for preventing yourself from the dangers of liver damage is an immediate will to see a proper professional like Dr. Vatsal Mehta for early and accurate diagnosis of your underlying disease, if you have any.
To get an appointment fixed and to know more about liver disease, contact us at: Alfa Gastro & liver care