Joint and muscle pain are common symptoms or complications of liver disease. The pain can be caused by the immune system fighting an infection, such as viral hepatitis. Joint pain may also be a side effect of medications, or the result of conditions with links to liver disease, such as RA.
Joint Pain and the Liver
A variety of liver diseases coexist with arthralgia and arthritis. Diffuse joint pain is observed in patients with acute viral hepatitis that may mimic rheumatic diseases. Approximately 50% of patients with hepatitis (B and C) have joint pain associated with cryoglobulinemia.
Some individuals with NAFLD can develop nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), an aggressive form of fatty liver disease, which is marked by liver inflammation and may progress to advanced scarring (cirrhosis) and liver failure. This damage is similar to the damage caused by heavy alcohol use.
Certain NSAIDs such as diclofenac and naproxen have been associated with hepatotoxicity. Therefore, low-dose acetaminophen (2 grams or less/day on non-consecutive days) is preferred over NSAIDs in patients with chronic liver disease.
Acetaminophen, when used as directed, is extremely safe even for people with liver disease.
Medications commonly implicated in causing fatty liver include corticosteroids, antidepressant and antipsychotic medications and, most commonly, tamoxifen.
If you've been diagnosed with any fatty liver disease, let your health care provider know if you have any symptoms that mean the disease is getting worse. These include fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, weakness, fluid retention, or bleeding.
When left untreated, fatty liver disease can progress to inflammation, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Scarring due to cirrhosis isn't reversible. If you develop cirrhosis, it also increases your risk of liver cancer and liver failure. These complications can be life threatening.
Classic signs of liver disease include jaundice, or yellowing of the skin, and a swollen abdomen. However, doctors also associate certain joint and muscle issues with liver disease. A common cause of joint pain in people with liver disease is arthritis, which is inflammation of the joints.
Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
“If you have an inflammatory condition in one part of the body, you may have similar inflammation in multiple domains.” The liver is one of those domains. The link between inflammatory arthritis and NAFLD appears to be strongest with psoriatic arthritis.
Loss of appetite. Abdominal pain and swelling. Yellowish skin or eyes (jaundice) Swollen feet and legs (edema) from fluid buildup.
Cirrhosis slows the normal flow of blood through the liver, thus increasing pressure in the vein that brings blood to the liver from the intestines and spleen. Swelling in the legs and abdomen. The increased pressure in the portal vein can cause fluid to accumulate in the legs (edema) and in the abdomen (ascites).
How long it takes to reverse fatty liver disease may depend on the cause. If your fatty liver is because of alcohol, you may be able to reverse the effects in about 2 weeks. If you have NAFLD, it will depend on how quickly you lose weight. But remember, be careful not to lose weight too quickly.
The good news is that fatty liver disease can be reversed—and even cured—if patients take action, including a 10% sustained loss in body weight.
How long does it take to reverse a fatty liver? Healthcare providers recommend losing at least 3% to 5% of your body weight to begin to see results in your liver. (Current research suggests that even 1% weight loss may improve outcomes.) They also recommend that you aim to lose no more than 1 to 2 pounds per week.
Fatty liver is most commonly diagnosed by a routine liver function test drawn from your blood. The alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is a specific marker for liver inflammation and is typically elevated in individuals with a fatty liver.
a dull or aching pain in the top right of the tummy (over the lower right side of the ribs) extreme tiredness. unexplained weight loss. weakness.
Avoiding Alcohol
Moderate or heavy alcohol use can cause additional damage and fat accumulation in the liver in people with NAFLD. Therefore, patients with NAFLD should avoid alcohol entirely if possible.
How could something natural be bad for your liver? In fact, some common herbs could cause toxic liver disease. Watch out for supplements that contain aloe vera, black cohosh, cascara, chaparral, comfrey, ephedra, or kava.