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.
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.
Liver pain can be felt in the upper part of the abdomen, on the right hand side but also in the back and the right shoulder. It can be dull and non specific, but it may also be severe. It can be a sign of liver disease.
Liver disease doesn't always cause noticeable signs and symptoms. If signs and symptoms of liver disease do occur, they may include: Skin and eyes that appear yellowish (jaundice) Abdominal pain and swelling.
Signs and symptoms
However, as your liver loses its ability to function properly, you're likely to experience a loss of appetite, nausea and itchy skin. In the later stages, symptoms can include jaundice, vomiting blood, dark, tarry-looking stools, and a build-up of fluid in the legs (oedema) and abdomen (ascites).
A stressed liver impacts the overall body functions – it may cause ringing in the ears, insomnia, dizziness, blurry vision, allergies, no sex drive, internal or intestinal bleeding, sensitivities to chemicals, PMS, drastic weight loss and spider veins.
Loss of Appetite
Loss of appetite is a common cause of liver disease. It is especially likely if the person also has nausea and vomiting as symptoms. Not surprisingly, weight loss is a common result. The good news is that this is considered an early sign of liver disease.
Symptoms of an inflamed liver can include: Feelings of fatigue. Jaundice (a condition that causes your skin and the whites of your eyes to turn yellow) Feeling full quickly after a meal.
As the liver becomes more severely damaged, more obvious and serious symptoms can develop, such as: yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice) swelling in the legs, ankles and feet caused by a build-up of fluid (oedema) swelling in your abdomen caused by a build-up of fluid known as ascites.
Painful spasms of the lower-limb muscles are experienced by 20-88% of patients with liver cirrhosis (2); they also reduce patient quality of life (QOL) (3). The severity of liver cirrhosis and ascites is related to the onset of muscle cramps (4).
Aches and pains in our bones, joints, and muscles may be caused by everyday wear and tear, overuse, or aging. This pain can also be the result of injury or illness. No matter the cause, the pain medicine experts at Weill Cornell Medicine can help alleviate pain and improve quality of life.
On the other hand, upper abdominal or liver pain may feel more like a dull ache or pressure in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. It may also be accompanied by fatigue, weakness, or general discomfort.
In liver disease, saturation of fatty acids produces inflammation in the hepatocytes, which increases the induction of caspase-1 activation and the release of IL-1β. This results in a release of more DAMPs from the hepatocytes, generating a feedback that amplifies the inflammatory response.
It's easy to confuse it with pain from your stomach, just to its left. Depending on the cause, a liver that hurts may show up as pain in the front center of your belly, in your back, or even your shoulders. Your liver doesn't actually have any pain receptors.
The liver can develop new cells, but prolonged alcohol misuse (drinking too much) over many years can reduce its ability to regenerate.
A person may not experience any symptoms of their condition until they have lived with it for years. It is important to talk to a doctor about any symptoms that may indicate a problem with the liver.
Imbalance in the liver meridian is associated with not only diseases of the liver as defined by the organ anatomy, but emotional changes, such as anger and bitterness, as well as a number of psychosomatic disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia.
The first stage of liver disease involves inflammation of the individual's bile duct or liver. Abdominal pain is often the first symptoms of this inflammation as the person's body attempts to fight off the disease or infection.
People with fatty liver disease often have no symptoms until the disease progresses to cirrhosis of the liver. If you do have symptoms, they may include: Abdominal pain or a feeling of fullness in the upper right side of the abdomen (belly). Nausea, loss of appetite or weight loss.
Both NAFLD and alcoholic fatty liver disease are usually silent diseases with few or no symptoms. If you do have symptoms, you may feel tired or have discomfort in the upper right side of your abdomen.