Signs of liver problems
The most simple method to check the state of the liver is the screening diagnostics. With this purpose it is necessary to take blood from a vein for determination of liver enzymes: aspartate-aminotransferase and alanine-amino-transferase. If the result of the analysis show a significant increase in the levels of these substances in the blood, it would indicate destruction of liver cells. In this case, you need to go to the doctor.
At diagnosis the doctor pays attention to the external signs of pathology: skin, eyes, hair, body weight. In case of problems with the liver, the patient may experience the following symptoms: pale yellow skin tone, the appearance of the abdominal discomfort after eating fatty foods, propensity to allergies, heaviness in the area right hypochondrium, irritability, or fatigue, bitter taste in the mouth, too dry or too oily skin, the appearance on the body spider veins, pigmented lesions, poor appetite.
Depending on the severity and development of diseases, the doctor may prescribe the General (clinical) analysis of blood and urine, biochemical analysis of blood. When liver disease in blood increases the content of conjugated fraction of bilirubin not only at elevated but with a normal concentration of total bilirubin. In the urine the urobilin in large amounts in severe jaundice - bilirubin. If the biochemical analysis of blood revealed abnormalities additionally prescribe ultrasound, MRI, liver scintigraphy, markers for hepatitis, a liver biopsy, immunological tests.
Symptoms of liver disease
Hepatitis (inflammatory liver disease) the patient complains of pain in the region of the liver blunt character, flatulence, unstable stool light in color. The urine in this disease may be dark. Often there is a General weakness, decreased ability to work, there is jaundice. Prolonged jaundice the skin becomes greyish. The examination revealed moderate enlargement of the liver, and enlarged right and left lobes, on the skin marked with scratches due to accumulation in tissues and blood bile acids. In this case also there is bradycardia, insomnia, irritability, depressed mental status and other signs of damage to the nervous system.
Cirrhosis - a severe liver disease characterized by irreversible process of replacement of the body tissues connective tissue. In this pathology there is a jaundice, which is due to hepatocellular failure caused by necrosis of the hepatic cells, degenerative processes. Laboratory studies of blood revealed increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, leukopenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia. With postnecrotic and portal cirrhosis bilirubin of the blood serum reaches the highest degree just the end stage of the disease.
