Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsLiver Damage vs. FailureSigns of Liver DamageSigns in Someone ElseReversing Liver DamageGeneral Reminders
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Liver Damage vs. Failure
Signs of Liver Damage
Signs in Someone Else
Reversing Liver Damage
General Reminders
A range of conditions, including alcohol or medication overuse, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and chronic infections, can damage your liver.However, the early signs of liver damage are subtle, and the initial stages of liver disease are “silent,” or asymptomatic. By the time you recognize symptoms, your liver is already significantly damaged.
Common signs of liver damage include:
Liver Damage vs. Failure: Technicalities to Understand
Liver damage is different from liver failure. It can be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term) and occurs when diseases or health conditions impact this organ. Liver damage can lead to liver disease.
Liver failure is when this vital organ in the upper abdomen—responsible for filtering and cleaning the blood, assisting in blood clotting, and metabolizing (breaking down) food and medication—can’t do its job.
Chronic liver disease causes areas of inflammation that become scar tissue. When this scarring becomes advanced, it is called liver cirrhosis. Over time, liver damage and disease can lead to liver (hepatic) failure. Liver failure is a medical emergency and has the potential to lead to complete organ failure.
Certain diseases and health factors causeliver disease, which can lead to cirrhosis and failure, including:
In the Beginning
No matter the cause, chronic inflammation in the liver tissue occurs in the earliest stages of liver disease. This is an immune reaction in which the tissue swells. At this point, most people don’t have symptoms. Healthcare providers detect liver damage with blood tests, such as the complete blood count and liver function tests.
Over time, inflammation leads toliver tissue scarring or fibrosis, impacting its function. At this stage, you may feel tired or weak and experience itchy skin, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Some people lose weight or have sexual dysfunction and a dull pain in the abdomen. Spiderlike red veins can break out on your skin.
Abdominal Pain and the LiverWhen people experienceabdominal paindue to liver damage, it’s coming from the liver itself. This organ is located on the right side of the body, in the upper part of the abdominal cavity, below and to the back of your chest.
Abdominal Pain and the Liver
When people experienceabdominal paindue to liver damage, it’s coming from the liver itself. This organ is located on the right side of the body, in the upper part of the abdominal cavity, below and to the back of your chest.
Progressive
As chronic liver disease progresses, more of the liver tissue scars, affecting the liver’s core functions. Liver fibrosis advances to cirrhosis, the most advanced and damaged stage. Signs and symptoms can vary from person to person. Signs of more advanced liver disease include:
Healthcare providers may call for clinical tests and evaluations to track liver damage and assess its health. In addition to blood tests, they may perform X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs), or other types of imaging to track disease progression in the liver and brain. Sometimes, they’ll need a biopsy, a clinical evaluation of a sample of liver tissue.
Staging Liver DiseaseWhen using biopsy (removing a sample tissue for analysis in a lab) , healthcare providers willgradethe condition based on the level of inflammation and abnormality in the liver tissue, as follows:Stage 0:Healthy liver tissue doesn’t have any signs of fibrosis or inflammation.Stage 1:Inflammation in parts of the tissue but no scar tissue; there may be no symptoms.Stage 2:The fibrosis has started to form a few bands of scar tissue (septa); typically, no other symptoms, though some report subtle symptoms such as euphoria, changes in sleep rhythm, and shortened attention span.Stage 3:In the third stage, there is more septa and widespread fibrosis without cirrhosis; there is also varices (bleeding in the stomach, intestines, or esophagus).Stage 4: Advanced liver disease causes cirrhosis, severe scarring of the liver, varices, ascites, internal bleeding, and other complications.
Staging Liver Disease
When using biopsy (removing a sample tissue for analysis in a lab) , healthcare providers willgradethe condition based on the level of inflammation and abnormality in the liver tissue, as follows:Stage 0:Healthy liver tissue doesn’t have any signs of fibrosis or inflammation.Stage 1:Inflammation in parts of the tissue but no scar tissue; there may be no symptoms.Stage 2:The fibrosis has started to form a few bands of scar tissue (septa); typically, no other symptoms, though some report subtle symptoms such as euphoria, changes in sleep rhythm, and shortened attention span.Stage 3:In the third stage, there is more septa and widespread fibrosis without cirrhosis; there is also varices (bleeding in the stomach, intestines, or esophagus).Stage 4: Advanced liver disease causes cirrhosis, severe scarring of the liver, varices, ascites, internal bleeding, and other complications.
When using biopsy (removing a sample tissue for analysis in a lab) , healthcare providers willgradethe condition based on the level of inflammation and abnormality in the liver tissue, as follows:
Emergency Signs to Not Ignore
Knowing the signs of liver damage and when you need help is crucial. If you suspect you have liver damage and are experiencing symptoms, call your provider. Get emergency help and call 911 if you experience any of the following:
Signs of Liver Damage in Someone Else
Recognizing the signs of liver damage in others can also be crucial. Signs of liver damage in someone else include:
Reversing Liver Damage: What Is Possible?
Unlike most other organs in the body, the liver can repair itself—to a point. If liver disease is in earlier stages, managing underlying diseases and making lifestyle changes can reverse the damage. Fibrosis may heal if the trigger is removed, whether due to alcohol, medications, metabolic conditions, or infection.
But there’s a limit, as healthcare providers generally consider liver cirrhosis to be irreversible. At this point, the extent of the damage to the liver is too much to recover from. Treatments and medications may help slow the damage andliver failure, with liver transplants reserved for end-stage liver disease, in which the organ stops working.
General Reminders for People Living With Liver Damage
If you are living with liver damage, keep up with your therapies and continue to make lifestyle and dietary changes. Methods that may help include:
Summary
Liver damage may not cause symptoms in its early stages, but the symptoms become severe over time. Early signs include fatigue, muscle weakness, itchy skin, and abdominal pain, which can eventually lead to jaundice (yellowing of the skin) and dark urine, among others. If untreated, this condition can lead to liver failure—in which the organ stops being able to complete its functions.
If you catch liver damage in its earlier stages, it may be reversible with treatment and lifestyle changes. However, liver cirrhosis—severe scarring—will not be able to heal. If you experience any signs of liver damage, call your healthcare provider.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of cirrhosis.MedlinePlus.Cirrhosis.Wazir H, Abid M, Essani B, et al.Diagnosis and treatment of liver disease: current trends and future directions.Cureus.2023;15(12):e49920. doi:10.7759/cureus.49920Toma D, Lazar O, Bontas E.Acute liver failure. In: Radu-Ionita F, Pyrsopoulos NT, Jinga M, Tintoiu IC, Sun Z, Bontas E, eds.Liver Diseases. Springer International Publishing; 2020:369-380.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Liver: anatomy and functions.Suk KT, Kim DJ.Staging of liver fibrosis or cirrhosis: the role of hepatic venous pressure gradient measurement.World J Hepatol. 2015;7(3):607-615. doi:10.4254/wjh.v7.i3.607National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment for cirrhosis.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, diet, & nutrition for cirrhosis.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of cirrhosis.MedlinePlus.Cirrhosis.Wazir H, Abid M, Essani B, et al.Diagnosis and treatment of liver disease: current trends and future directions.Cureus.2023;15(12):e49920. doi:10.7759/cureus.49920Toma D, Lazar O, Bontas E.Acute liver failure. In: Radu-Ionita F, Pyrsopoulos NT, Jinga M, Tintoiu IC, Sun Z, Bontas E, eds.Liver Diseases. Springer International Publishing; 2020:369-380.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Liver: anatomy and functions.Suk KT, Kim DJ.Staging of liver fibrosis or cirrhosis: the role of hepatic venous pressure gradient measurement.World J Hepatol. 2015;7(3):607-615. doi:10.4254/wjh.v7.i3.607National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment for cirrhosis.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, diet, & nutrition for cirrhosis.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of cirrhosis.MedlinePlus.Cirrhosis.Wazir H, Abid M, Essani B, et al.Diagnosis and treatment of liver disease: current trends and future directions.Cureus.2023;15(12):e49920. doi:10.7759/cureus.49920Toma D, Lazar O, Bontas E.Acute liver failure. In: Radu-Ionita F, Pyrsopoulos NT, Jinga M, Tintoiu IC, Sun Z, Bontas E, eds.Liver Diseases. Springer International Publishing; 2020:369-380.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Liver: anatomy and functions.Suk KT, Kim DJ.Staging of liver fibrosis or cirrhosis: the role of hepatic venous pressure gradient measurement.World J Hepatol. 2015;7(3):607-615. doi:10.4254/wjh.v7.i3.607National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment for cirrhosis.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, diet, & nutrition for cirrhosis.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of cirrhosis.
MedlinePlus.Cirrhosis.
Wazir H, Abid M, Essani B, et al.Diagnosis and treatment of liver disease: current trends and future directions.Cureus.2023;15(12):e49920. doi:10.7759/cureus.49920
Toma D, Lazar O, Bontas E.Acute liver failure. In: Radu-Ionita F, Pyrsopoulos NT, Jinga M, Tintoiu IC, Sun Z, Bontas E, eds.Liver Diseases. Springer International Publishing; 2020:369-380.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Liver: anatomy and functions.
Suk KT, Kim DJ.Staging of liver fibrosis or cirrhosis: the role of hepatic venous pressure gradient measurement.World J Hepatol. 2015;7(3):607-615. doi:10.4254/wjh.v7.i3.607
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment for cirrhosis.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, diet, & nutrition for cirrhosis.
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