Red Flags of Liver Disease You Should Notify Your Doctor Immediately
The liver is one of the most important organs in your wellness. It plays several roles, including digestion and fighting infections. As a result, incorporating measures to keep it functioning is essential. Unfortunately, it is also susceptible to complications that can threaten your well-being. Some conditions such as obesity, unprotected sex, and alcohol consumption are some of the common factors that made the number of people with liver disease Katy surge gradually. Some people are, however, unable to detect when they have this condition. Here are the red flags of liver disease you should notify your doctor immediately.
Spider Angiomas
If you notice tiny capillaries similar to spiders under your leg or face skin, you should see your doctor to confirm if you have liver disease. Spider Angiomas occur as a result of having high levels of estrogen. These levels make your liver unable to function properly during the metabolism of the hormones. This sign is more common in individuals with liver disease from alcohol consumption than in people whose cirrhosis does not result from alcohol.
Sleep Disturbance
If you have liver cirrhosis, you will always complain about lacking sleep, especially insomnia and daytime sleepiness. Additionally, you are more prone to have obstructive sleep apnea. Because of toxins accumulation in your blood, your sleep cycle might be disturbed, and sometimes you may be forced into a coma. Therefore, if your sleep is interrupted, you should consult your healthcare practitioner instantly to confirm the chances of having liver disease.
Loss of Memory
When your liver is damaged, you may forget where you placed something. Usually, liver damage makes it complex for the liver to eliminate toxins from the blood, causing them to build up in the brain (hepatic encephalopathy). One of the outcomes of this condition is loss of memory. Therefore, it is advisable to see your healthcare provider when your tendency to forget things becomes excessive to confirm if your liver might be the cause.
Unexpected Weight Gain
Are you gaining sudden weight even after eating a healthy diet and staying physically active? Sometimes your liver might be the one to blame. You might have underlying liver cirrhosis that develops gradually and substitutes healthy liver tissue with scar tissue, clogging the blood flow via the liver. As a result, your liver tissue fails to function accordingly. It might result from a nonalcoholic fatty liver disease comprising excess fat accumulating and staying in the liver cells, impacting mainly alcoholic individuals.
Pale Stools
Your stool’s common, dark color occurs because the liver releases bile salts. If you have a pale stool, it may indicate your liver has underlying damage. On the other hand, when the stool tends to be lighter, the urine appears darker because of bilirubin production, which leads to jaundice. Also, black, tarry stools can be a red flag of liver damage from blood passing through the digestive system. Thus, you should seek medical attention when your stool has become pale.
Liver disease can be life-threatening if left undiagnosed and untreated. Failing to signal the common red flags of this condition, like memory loss, fatigue, lack of sleep, and pale stool, can be problematic. Fortunately, if you notice them and report them to your healthcare provider, there are various medications and antiviral drugs your provider can recommend. They can also advise on lifestyle adjustments you need to incorporate to reduce the risk and severity of this concern. Therefore, you should embrace visiting a liver specialist regularly for checkups.
