How to understand what the liver hurts: signs and symptoms

The liver is one of the main life-supporting organs of the human body. It filters all toxins, toxins, junk food, alcohol, drugs, poisons, chemicals. The liver is our filter that does not pass into the body all the harmful substances and poisons with which we poison it. We can say that the liver is much smarter than the person himself. We poison the body, and it protects it. But under the powerful influence of negative factors, the liver may not stand it. The bad thing is that the liver does not hurt and does not prick - in its body there are simply no nerve endings. We learn about the poor condition of the liver quite late, when it is already in a painful stage.

What affects the liver

Liver diseases and increased stress on this organ can be triggered by the following factors.

1. A large number of drugs. Often this happens in patients with chronic diseases. Every day they take potent drugs that support the health of a diseased organ. But at the same time, it gives a powerful load on the liver. Such a reaction, by the way, can give oral contraceptives, which are often taken for years.
2. Alcohol and smoking. Alcohol is pure poison. It affects all organs badly, but the liver is most affected. If you drink alcohol rarely, the liver manages to recover and regenerate. However, with constant consumption of alcoholic products, the organ is destroyed, leading to various diseases and often fatal. It is proved that only 30 grams of ethanol every day - and in 10 years the liver will be completely destroyed. Nicotine affects the liver less aggressively, but also is an additional burden for the work of this body.
3. Fatty, salty, spicy foods - This is a serious task for the liver. It cannot process complex components, which is why after a fatty meal we feel heaviness in the right side.
4. Physical activity after eating. The liver itself does not have nerve endings, however, these sensitive areas are many in the membrane of the liver itself. We can feel fullness and discomfort in the right hypochondrium, if we began to actively engage in sports after a heavy meal. In this case, blood circulation increases and a huge amount of venous blood enters the liver. The organ enlarges, bringing discomfort and pain.
5. Pregnancy. During pregnancy, all the organs of a woman are rearranged, the system begins to work not on one organism, but on two. The uterus grows, supporting other organs. Closest to it is the liver. That is why during pregnancy a woman often feels discomfort in the right hypochondrium.

These are the main conditions that can trigger liver disease. But how to understand that the liver is working in a freelance mode? How to recognize her painful condition?

How to understand what the liver hurts

Here are the main symptoms that may indicate a malfunction in the work of this body.

1. Frequent belching with an unpleasant odor, heartburn.
2. Aching in the right side, a feeling of heaviness and overcrowding. The pain can be both periodic and minor, and acute. Especially pain occurs after eating fatty and salty foods.
3. If liver function is impaired, itching, redness, and skin rashes may appear. Also, from an excess of bile, wen and pigment spots may appear.
4. Excess bile gives a clear aftertaste of bitterness in the mouth.
5. White or yellow plaque may appear on the tongue.
6. With liver diseases, urine becomes dark, intensely yellow, feces can become colorless.
7. The general condition of a person also changes.He becomes lethargic, feels tired even after rest, drowsiness, irritability appears. The patient often suffers from loss of appetite, his sleep is disturbed, he loses weight. Sometimes it is accompanied by night sweats.
8. With serious liver diseases, the sclera and skin become yellow.
9. Liver diseases are often accompanied by an upset digestive system - constipation or diarrhea occurs, bloating, flatulence, nausea, and even vomiting are observed.
10. In women, liver problems often lead to menstrual irregularities. In men, this is accompanied by a loss of potency.
11. Liver problems reduce immunity, a person begins to get sick often and for a long time.
12. External signs such as deterioration of hair and nails may appear.
13. If an inflammatory process occurs in the liver, this is often accompanied by an increase in temperature.

Sometimes the liver hurts absolutely asymptomatically, and its condition can be recognized only by ultrasound and analysis. But it also happens that pain in the right hypochondrium and all characteristic symptoms indicate not a disease of the liver itself, but a malfunction in the work of neighboring organs, for example, the gall bladder. Self-medication and self-diagnosis in this case is highly not recommended and can even be dangerous. If you do not consult a doctor on time, the symptoms may become blurry or disappear altogether. But this does not mean that the inflammatory process has stopped. Sometimes inaction can lead to cirrhosis, oncology and fatty degeneration. Visit your doctor on time to identify the diagnosis and take adequate treatment. But what diseases can poor liver function testify to?

What diseases does the liver hurt?

Often the liver takes the first blow if harmful viruses and bacteria enter the body. The liver can be sick with the following diseases.

1. Mononucleosis. This is a viral disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. Mononucleosis is characterized by a purulent throat, as with follicular tonsillitis, an increase in lymph nodes, a rash is possible. The virus also greatly affects the liver - it is increasing in size.
2. Hepatitis. Hepatitis can be viral, bacterial, radiation, toxic, and autoimmune. Viral hepatitis A to G is the most well-known disease that disrupts the liver, replacing its cells with salt and calcium deposits. Bacterial hepatitis occurs with syphilis, radiation - due to a large dose of radiation, autoimmune - when antibodies are produced on their own liver cells. Toxic hepatitis occurs due to poisoning by alcohol, drugs or poisons. Hepatitis occurs with symptoms similar to the flu - drowsiness, weakness, loss of appetite, vomiting, etc.
3. Parasites. Various parasites in the human body live not only in the intestine. They can be localized in the liver, narrowing the walls of blood vessels and irritating the nerve endings of the liver membrane, which leads to unpleasant sensations, pain and severity.
4. Bile duct cyst, polycystic. Often, these diseases occur without severe symptoms. The cyst is simply located in the tissues without inconvenience. Cysts form in the prenatal period. If the cyst begins to grow, it can lead to painful sensations. It is very important to consult a doctor in time to avoid a gap, after which bleeding can begin.
5. Cholecystitis. This is inflammation of the gallbladder, which pain resembles soreness of the liver. The pain can be given to the shoulder blade and intensifies after fatty, smoked and salty foods. The nature of the pain is sharp, stitching.
6. Oncology. Painful sensations in the liver can be not only with cancer of the organ itself, but also in the case of metastasis from neighboring organs. Liver metastases can enter from the digestive tract - intestines, stomach. In women, they can spread from the ovaries and uterus.
7. Cirrhosis. Most often occurs with prolonged alcohol poisoning.Cirrhosis is the replacement of healthy liver tissue with fibrous connective tissue, which is devoid of the ability to function normally. Fibrous tissue is collagen devoid of living cells.

This is not a complete list of diseases in which liver pain is the main symptom. The correct diagnosis can only be made by a doctor.

The difficulty in treating the liver lies in the fact that this organ does not make itself felt up to serious problems with it. But it is in our power to listen to our body and not be lazy to see a doctor. Indeed, with timely diagnosis, the vast majority of diseases are treated quickly and without consequences.

Video: liver disease symptoms