Pain in your liver itself can feel like a dull throbbing pain or a stabbing sensation in your right upper abdomen just under your ribs. General abdominal pain and discomfort can also be related to swelling from fluid retention and enlargement of your spleen and liver caused by cirrhosis.
Liver pain is sometimes confused with a pain in the right shoulder, or in the abdomen, or the kidney. Many liver diseases and other organ conditions can cause liver pain. Some of these can lead to liver damage.
If your liver pain comes on quickly, hurts too much, goes on for a long time, or keeps you from carrying on with normal activities, get it checked out. Other signs that you need medical treatment right away include: Jaundice. Fever.
Blood tests used to assess the liver are known as liver function tests. But liver function tests can be normal at many stages of liver disease. Blood tests can also detect if you have low levels of certain substances, such as a protein called serum albumin, which is made by the liver.
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.
The pain may be throbbing or stabbing, and it can come and go. If you experience this type of pain regularly, or if the intensity of it prevents you from functioning normally, seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Pain in the Upper Right Abdomen
So what does liver pain feel like? It manifests in different ways, but a common form is a dull throbbing. For some people, it occurs as a sharp, stabbing pain. Sometimes the pain migrates to other nearby areas, such as the right shoulder blade and the back.
There are at-home liver panel tests that can determine liver function by screening for proteins and enzymes like albumin, globulin, ALP, ALT, and GGT. These tests use a finger-prick sample and include materials to collect and send your specimen to the lab. You can order a liver panel from home and get tested in a lab.
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.
Too much refined sugar and high-fructose corn syrup causes a fatty buildup that can lead to liver disease. Some studies show that sugar can be as damaging to the liver as alcohol, even if you're not overweight. It's one more reason to limit foods with added sugars, such as soda, pastries, and candy.
Healing can begin as early as a few days to weeks after you stop drinking, but if the damage is severe, healing can take several months. In some cases, “if the damage to the liver has been long-term, it may not be reversible,” warns Dr. Stein.
Liver pain can signal problems in the liver itself or in other parts of the body. Conditions that directly affect the liver and can lead to pain include: excessive alcohol consumption. hepatitis, or liver inflammation.
An underperforming liver can't filter toxins out of the bloodstream, resulting in fatigue, headaches and skin problems. Frequent gassy sensation. When a damaged liver doesn't secrete digestive juices to break down food, you may experience routine bloating and stool pressure.
Damage to the liver from alcohol, toxins, and certain drugs can also cause liver inflammation. Other causes include some inherited diseases, autoimmune disorders, and prolonged blockage of bile flow. Most cases of hepatitis will procedure mild or no symptoms and resolve on their own.
Elevated liver enzymes may be a sign that a person's liver is not working properly. Damaged or inflamed liver cells release enzymes into the bloodstream, which a blood test will detect. Doctors test people for elevated liver enzymes if they have symptoms of conditions that typically cause liver damage.
Acute liver failure can develop quickly in an otherwise healthy person, and it is life-threatening. If you or someone you know suddenly develops a yellowing of the eyes or skin; tenderness in the upper abdomen; or any unusual changes in mental state, personality or behavior, seek medical attention right away.
Stage 1: Inflammation
In the early stages of liver disease, the liver will become swollen or inflamed as the body's natural response to injury. Liver inflammation, or hepatitis, can also occur when there are more toxins in the blood than the liver is able to manage. The earlier the diagnosis, the better.
The presence of excessive gas was also significantly correlated with liver steatosis coupled with elevated ALT (P = . 001). Conclusion: This study shows a significant correlation between excessive intestinal gas and liver steatosis.
If you have NASH, no medication is available to reverse the fat buildup in your liver. In some cases, the liver damage stops or even reverses itself. But in others, the disease continues to progress. If you have NASH, it's important to control any conditions that may contribute to fatty liver disease.