Liver disease is on the rise, but unfortunately, many patients aren’t aware of their diagnosis until it has become quite advanced. There are many factors that contribute to liver disease including obesity, alcohol, and hepatitis. Liver disease can be a silent disease for years and patients may only experience pressing symptoms once it has advanced.
Your liver plays a crucial role in your body. It does everything from filtering waste, storing energy, producing hormones, and helping in the digestion of food. Anything that enters the body is ultimately processed through the liver, so if you’re putting junk in your body, then your liver will end up like junk and not work properly.
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There are some signs that when detected early can help indicate potential problems with the liver, but if you’re unaware of these signs, you could be living with a sick liver for years. Here are the 10 most unexpected signs and symptoms related to the liver that you need to know of.
10 Unexpected Signs of Liver Disease
Abdominal pain: You may experience nausea, vomiting, and general discomfort in the abdomen region if you have liver disease. Unfortunately, though, this symptom can also be related to other conditions and illnesses too. This abdominal pain should be experienced on the right side of the body and the area may be swollen or achy to touch.
Joint pain: More so in females, liver disease may trigger an autoimmune response, so the body begins to attack its own joints.
Confusion: When your liver is diseased, it could lead to a build-up of copper in the body, which can trigger confusion. You may feel as if you can’t think straight or complete simple tasks. Confusion often occurs when the liver disease had advanced quite a bit, so it is often not a primary symptom.
Dark urine: Having dark urine or stool is a sign that toxins are not being removed from the body, which your liver is responsible for doing. Speak to a doctor if your urine stays persistently dark regardless of how much water you consume.
Loss of appetite: Loss of appetite and unintentional weight loss is an early sign of liver troubles. Loss of appetite can be triggered by many things, so watch out for other symptoms along with this one.
Itchy skin: When the liver isn’t functioning properly, bile deposits into the skin, causing you to feel itchy.
Bleeding or bruising easily: If you aren’t producing enough proteins for blood clotting due to a sick liver, you can find a bleed and bruise far easier than before.
Gallstones: Having liver disease can increase your risk of gallstones because there isn’t enough bile reaching the gallbladder, causing it to not work properly.
Yellow skin and eyes: Jaundice is a common symptom in those with sick livers. This is known as jaundice.
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Skin blemishes: Skin blemishes may appear as a spider-like rash as a result of your blood not being properly cleaned, so clotting issues occur near the skin as a result.
As you can tell, many of these symptoms can be attributed to other ailments. If you experience any of these symptoms for several days, then speak to your doctor about having your liver health evaluated.
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Devon Andre has been involved in the health and dietary supplement industry for a number of years. Devon has written extensively for Bel Marra Health. He has a Bachelor of Forensic Science from the University of Windsor, and went on to complete a Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh. Devon is keenly aware of trends and new developments in the area of health and wellness. He embraces an active lifestyle combining diet, exercise and healthy choices. By working to inform readers of the options available to them, he hopes to improve their health and quality of life.
