Is Your Liver in Trouble? Watch Out for These Liver Failure Warning Signs!
First of all, let’s clarify what liver failure means. It happens when the organ is shutting down and failing to perform its essential functions. There are two kinds of possibilities when it comes to this health issue. It can happen rapidly or gradually, depending on the patient. Unfortunately, liver failure can affect everyone, no matter the age and lifestyle.
It’s a stubborn health problem that ended more lives than you can even imagine. When the situation is getting worse and when liver failure is final, it can be fatal, without a transplant. And, unfortunately, we all know how hard it is to register to a translation list and wait for an available organ. It’s probably one of the most traumatizing experiences, especially for an ill patient.
The liver is one of the most important organs in our bodies. It performs hundreds of important functions and we can’t live without it. So, when your liver is giving signs of failure, you’ll definitely experience a series of unusual symptoms, trying to let you know that it cannot function normally for your body’s needs. It’s scary, I know, but recognizing these signs and symptoms is crucial in preventing your organ from rapid failure, with the correct treatment and under doctors’ supervision, you can manage the sicknesses for longer if you identify the problem when it is in the early stages.
Acute Liver Failure vs. Chronic Liver Failure
The failure that occurs rapidly is called Acute Liver Failure, while the more common and gradual type is Chronic Liver Failure.
Acute liver failure happens suddenly, and most of the time it’s caused by a large toxic load, such as poisoning, or even by a severe viral infection. This diagnosis represents an emergency and always gives patients serious signs and symptoms. The organ rapidly begins to shut down, affecting your energy levels, immune system, and life, in general. Unfortunately, there are no magical pills available on the market, and for acute liver failure, the only solution is a transplant.
On the other hand, chronic liver failure happens when something has been damaging your liver and it represents the end stage of chronic liver disease. It’s called failure when the process becomes irreversible. Chronic liver failure follows, most of the time, cirrhosis.
The stages of liver failure
Chronic liver failure is considered to be the end stage of chronic liver disease. However, the health issue can progress through several stages. It’s essential to keep in mind that these stages of liver failure aren’t discreet from each other. Someone with fibrosis can still have inflammation for example.
- Hepatitis – This is the first stage of liver failure and represents the inflammation of your liver. The process of long-term damage begins at the moment when your liver is affected by chronic disease. Initially, the inflammation appears because the healing process in your liver tissues begins. However, if the inflammation persists it turns into fibrosis.
- Fibrosis – This is a dangerous type of scarring in your tissues and is progressive. As you already understand, it happens as a result of chronic inflammation. So, what really happens is thin bands of fibrous tissue add up and shift your liver. The good news is that your liver cells can regenerate and the organ can recover. The most important thing is the inflammation to end before it’s too late.
- Cirrhosis – This is the most advanced type of liver failure before it basically shuts down. Cirrhosis happens when you have so much scarring in your liver that it’s no longer reversible. Unfortunately, it’s permanent. However, you can still slow the process at this stage.
- Liver failure – This happens when the organ’s function begins to fail. In this stage, complications usually develop throughout the body. Chronic liver failure requires a liver transplant! Without a transplant, even though the failure isn’t rapid, it leads to death.
12 Signs and symptoms of liver failure
Depending on how advanced the health issue is, you may notice some signs and symptoms in your body. Most of the time, some of the most common symptoms are:
- Fatigue
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
- Yellow tinge to the whites of your eyes and skin
- Altered mental status
- Itchy skin, without a visible rash
- Dark-colored urine and/or light-colored stool
- Easy bleeding and bruising
- Weight loss
- Smelly breath
- Visible blood vessels that look like spiders
- Swelling with fluid in your ankles or feet
Is liver failure painful?
When your liver is failing, all the toxins from your body flood into your bloodstream. It’s an awful feeling. So, when this happens, you’ll feel very tired and weak. The worst part is that the toxins can also affect your brain, causing anxiety, confusion, or even motor dysfunction.
The main causes of liver failure
Both acute and chronic liver failure are caused by overwhelming stress on your liver. However, they happen in different ways. Some causes can suddenly stress your liver, while some can affect your organ gradually. These may include:
- Viral infections such as hepatitis A, B, D, or E.
All the infections should be carefully treated and kept under control. It can be very dangerous to lose control over an infection that can, normally, be easily treated.
- Drug overdoses
Acetaminophen is probably the most common cause of acute liver failure in the United States, but there are also other drugs considered very dangerous, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and certain antibiotics.
- Pregnancy complications
Unfortunately, some women may experience pregnancy complications that can rapidly overwhelm the liver. Some of these complications are the acute fatty liver of pregnancy, preeclampsia, and HELLP syndrome.
- Genetic disorders
Some genetic causes can lead to liver failure, these are autoimmune hepatitis and Wilson disease.
- Chronic alcohol use
We all know how unhealthy is alcohol, especially if it’s consumed in excess. Heavy alcohol is one of the top reasons why people develop cirrhosis and experience liver failure.
The side complications of liver failure
The liver performs tons of important functions in the body and supports many different systems. In case it begins to fail, the effects will be immediately noticed throughout your body. So, if it happens, you might experience a generally bad feeling. You can also get sick more often and deal with frequent infections.
Liver failure diagnosis
If you experience liver failure symptoms, don’t hesitate, and make sure to see your doctor as soon as possible. You may need to do some blood tests, to see exactly the measurements of your liver. The blood tests are essential, being able to easily detect some of the liver’s complications, such as blood clotting or anemia.
Another crucial test is represented by imaging. It can show signs of liver disease. Detecting any sign of swelling, scarring, or even fluid in the abdomen is crucial, especially at the early stages of the medical issue.
Last but not least, a liver biopsy is much needed to determine the stage of sickness. It’s a minor procedure where a small tissue sample is taken from your liver with a hollow needle. This kind of test can confirm cirrhosis and help the doctor determine the exact cause of your liver disease.
Are you interested in learning more about health? You should also read: Do You Have Clogged Arteries? Here Are 8 Warning Signs
