The liver is one of the vital organs of the human body. It takes part in the process of digestion, metabolism, and also serves as a filter, cleansing the blood and, accordingly, the whole body from toxins, converts harmful substances to the body. Liver diseases also exist in large numbers, and the symptoms indicating that a person has a sick liver are very different and often not at first sight related to this organ.
Causes of pain in the liver
In medicine, the causes of pain in the liver are divided into functional and organic.
Functional disorders are usually caused by external factors that provoked abnormalities in the functioning of the liver.
Such factors include:
- alcohol intoxication;
- Overeating (especially abuse of fatty, fried, cholesterol-rich foods);
- poisoning;
- drug intoxication;
- overvoltage.
In addition, pain can cause acute or chronic stress. With such disorders, signs of pain in the liver can be implicit, short-lived, and not permanent, but arise periodically, due to the influence of the negative factor. Functional disorders are easily amenable to treatment.
Organic lesions include diseases that directly affect the liver and cause changes in it:
- cirrhosis;
- fatty degeneration of the liver ;
- acute and chronic hepatitis;
- cysts;
- abscesses;
- tumor.
What symptoms can occur if the liver is sore?
It should be noted that there are no pain receptors in the liver itself, they are only present in the fibrous membrane covering the liver. When the liver increases, there is pressure on this shell, so the symptom of a patient's liver is usually dull pain. Acute cramping pains most often indicate bile duct disease, cholelithiasis. A sharp sharp pain, which increases with palpation, can talk about cholangitis or purulent cholecystitis.
In this case, the pain does not necessarily appear in the right upper quadrant, where the liver is located, and can give to other parts of the body or be vague, so in some cases, the symptoms can be confused with abdominal pain.
In case of liver diseases, the following can be observed:
- blunt or sharp pain in the right hypochondrium;
- Pressing and pulling sensations in the same place;
- pain in the back, neck, region of the right scapula;
- unpleasant sensations arising or amplifying after the use of fatty, spicy, roasted, alcohol;
- pain accompanied by eructations, bitterness in the mouth, stool disorders.
What are the symptoms if the liver is sick?
Consider what basic signs can be observed when a person has a liver pain.
Yellowing of the skin and sclera of the eye
A specific symptom, characteristic of liver diseases, is the accumulation of bilirubin in the blood. It is most common in cirrhosis and hepatitis.
General weakness and fatigue
The common symptom, which is typical for a very large number of diseases, and therefore can not serve as a basis for diagnosis. But if there is a violation of the liver, it is observed quite often, because of the intoxication of the body.
Skin Problems
Pale skin, a violation of pigmentation, bruising and bruising. These symptoms are usually observed with prolonged, chronic liver disease. Also, the appearance of skin rashes, acne, acne - which is a signal of metabolic disorders or intoxication.
Digestive disorders
Eating with the smell of rotten eggs, bloating, nausea, stool disorders - these symptoms are characteristic almost always if a person has a liver pain, regardless of the cause.