13 Common Symptoms of Liver Disease.

Knowing how to recognize the symptoms of liver disease can save your life. As with so many chronic diseases, liver disease, if spotted early enough, can be prevented, and cured (providing the causes have been identified and are avoided in future). With a little due diligence your liver can fully recover, grow new healthy tissue and replace any that has been damaged – hence the importance of knowing the warning signs to look out for. Here are some of the classic signs of liver disease… 1. Bad Breath People with liver disease tend to have bad breath, known in medical circles as fetor hepaticus. It is characterized by a musty, foul-smelling odor coming from the mouth and usually manifests prior to more obvious symptoms of the condition. 2. Coated Tongue A coated tongue is a sign that your body isnít digesting food properly, allowing bowel bacteria and yeast to overgrow. The liver helps us digest fat by making bile. When there are problems, we arenít able to produce enough bile for proper digestion. 3. Body Odor Bad body odor can be caused by liver problems. Liver disease can change the consistency of sweat, resulting in a foul smell. See your doctor if you begin to sweat at night, sweat more than you usually do, get cold sweats, or smell different (fruity). 4. Dark Circles Under the Eyes Dark circles under the eyes are an external manifestation of chronic liver disease. In a significant amount of people with liver problems, dark circles in the facial area are visible. Individuals with liver inflammation have especially dark under eye circles. 5. Discolored Bowels Healthy stools range in hues of brown. Light-colored or pale stools can be due to blocked bile ducts or liver disease. If your bowels are clay-colored, you may have issues with drainage of your biliary system, which includes the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder 6. Itchy/Swollen Palms and Soles Stubborn itchiness in the hands and feet can be a symptom of liver failure. Inflammation and liver scarring are linked to fatty liver disease and can cause the body to itch. It typically starts at the soles and palms, which can also become swollen. Jaundice 7. Jaundice Jaundice refers to when the skin becomes yellow, along with the nails and the whites of the eyes. This occurs when the liver isnít breaking down bilirubin as it should. Those suffering from jaundice may also have dark urine and light-colored stool. 8. Nausea The initial symptoms of liver failure are usually nausea, lack of appetite, diarrhea, and exhaustion. But these can be caused by a variety of things. Be sure to have liver disease ruled out if recurring nausea occurs, especially if there are other symptoms. Abdominal Pain 9. Abdominal Pain Discomfort or pain in the abdomen is often felt if a person has liver disease. This may be due to ascites, a fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity. The cause is liver scarring, which increases pressure inside the liverís blood vessels. 10. Cognitive Decline Deterioration in brain function occurs with liver disease due to a build up of toxic substances in the brain, as the liver cannot filter them. These substances can include free fatty acids, ammonia, mercaptans, and false neurotransmitters. 11. Spider Angiomas These are tiny, spider-like capillaries that can be observed just below the surface of the skin. Spider angiomas tend to appear when an individualís estrogen level rises, which may occur if the liver is unable to adequately break down the hormone. 12. Lethargy Since ammonia is routinely filtered from the blood by a healthy, properly functioning liver, a compromised organ can cause feelings of lethargy and fatigue. This lack of energy is brought about by the rise in blood ammonia. 13. Hormonal Imbalance Liver disease can lead to the body's failure to manage the production and processing of hormones. In men, this can result in enlarged breasts (gynecomastia), as well as withered testicles. Females may have their menstrual cycles disrupted.