6 Warning Signs That A Liver Is Suffering Because Of An Unhealthy Lifestyle

According to the John Hopkins Medicine Health Library, cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases are common causes of death in the U.S. It also states that, on average, 31,000 people in the U.S. die each year from cirrhosis. So it’s imperative for people to look for signs of liver damage.

In many cases, we damage our liver because of our lifestyle choices. Whether it’s constantly consuming large amounts of alcohol, smoking cigarettes or overeating unhealthy food, you’re putting extra stress on your liver. If your liver is overstressed, it won’t be able to break down fats and produce energy, so you’ll end up fatigued.

Below you will find the most common signs of liver damage, and if you’re experiencing any of them, you might want to see a doctor and consider changing some of your habits.

Abdominal Aches: According to Bruce Bacon, a professor of internal medicine and chair of gastroenterology at the St. Louis University School of Medicine, one common sign of liver damage is abdominal aches. Bacon says you’ll feel swelling or pain in the right upper quadrant of your abdomen. The reason it’ll be the right side is that the fat end of the liver is on the right side.

Yellow Skin or Eyes (Jaundice): Jamile Wakim-Fleming, a liver disease expert at Cleveland Clinic, explains that damaged liver causes your skin or eyes to become yellow because it allows bilirubin (a yellow compound) into your blood. If your liver is healthy, it will be able to dispose of bilirubin, Fleming adds.

Pain In Your Joints: Fleming states that vomiting, joint pain, fatigue and loss of appetite are all interrelated symptoms of liver disease – mainly autoimmune hepatitis. This is a condition where your immune system attacks the cell tissues in your liver. According to the National Institutes of Health, this condition is more common in women than men.

Skin Spots: According to Fleming, if your liver is not properly cleaning the blood in your body, clotting issues can occur near the surface of your skin. Fleming adds that these clotting issues can cause large skin blemishes.

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