Symptoms of liver disease

If you develop any of these symptoms you should go to a hospital emergency department (A and E) or call 999 straight away.

They might not be caused by liver cirrhosis. But it is important to get checked out and looked after.

• vomiting blood
• feeling like you cannot get enough air when you breathe
• very dark black or tar-like poo
• feeling unusually confused or finding it hard to stay awake
• jaundice, (a yellow colour to your eyes or skin) if you have not had this before.

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You might not have any symptoms – or they might be very vague, just ‘feeling a bit off.

  -Jen

Many people with the early stages of liver disease do not have any symptoms. It is not possible to tell just from symptoms if your liver is healthy or not.

If there are early symptoms, they are usually things that could also be caused by something else.

So if you are worried about your liver, even if you feel well, talk to your doctor.

Early symptoms can include:

• Feeling generally unwell
• Feeling tired all the time, even when you have rested
• Feeling or being sick
• Pain or a sore feeling under your ribs on your right side
• Small spider like veins showing on your skin above waist level (spider angiomas)
• Blotchy red palms
• Trouble sleeping

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Head

• Regular nose bleeds or bleeding gums
• Forgetfulness, confusion or memory loss
• Feeling like it is hard to stay awake
• Small changes in personality
• Feeling very tired all the time even if you have rested or slept

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Arms, shoulders, and hands

• White nails
• The ends of your fingers becoming wider or thickened (clubbed fingers)
• Pain in your right shoulder
• Trembling hands
• Changes in how you write, with writing becoming small and spidery
• Lots of muscle cramps

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Skin

• Very itchy skin
• Jaundice (a yellow colour to your eyes or skin)
• Bruising more easily
• Having trouble stopping small cuts from bleeding

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Chest

• Feeling short of breath
• A very rapid heartbeat even if you are not exercising

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Tummy (abdomen)

• Swelling in your tummy,
• Pain or a sore feeling under your ribs on your right side

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Genitals

• If you usually have periods they might stop or become irregular
• If you are a man, you might develop enlarged breasts or your testicles may shrink
• Loss of interest in sex
• For men erectile dysfunction and ejaculation problems
• For women a lack of arousal or climax

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Legs, ankles, and feet

• Swelling in your legs, ankles or feet
• Staggering when walking, or falling more often
• Lots of muscle cramps

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Toilet

• Dark coloured urine even if you are drinking enough
• Pale putty coloured poo

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Jaundice is usually described as a yellow colour to your eyes and skin.

It is often easier to see in your eyes and can be harder to spot on black and brown skin.

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