Fatty liver disease: Common signs and symptoms you must not ignore

Fatty liver disease, better known as Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), has been dubbed the “silent epidemic” because it develops slowly and without significant warning signs. It is important to understand that while there are no serious clinical warning signs during the early stages of fatty liver disease, the body will exhibit some mild signs of liver impairment, especially at night, which can be detected. By spotting these signs here at the onset of liver impairment, one can limit the likelihood of the chronic, progressive damage that can cause complications such as cirrhosis or failure of the liver.

The serious symptoms of fatty liver disease you should watch for are:

Pain in the Abdomen (Especially at Night): Pain or fullness in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen is one of the more common symptoms of fatty liver disease. Many people will describe the pain as becoming intense at night, which can interrupt a sound sleep.

Loss of Appetite During Dinner Time: During evening meals, a decline in appetite may be a sign of a dysfunctional liver. If the loss of appetite persists, an individual can eventually end up with weight loss that may lead to malnutrition.

Unusual Weight Loss: When someone begins to lose weight without dietary or exercise changes, it can possibly be a sign of the liver failing to metabolize and maintain weight.

Swollen Legs and Feet: Edema due to water retention caused by liver dysfunction may also manifest in the lower extremities (lower legs and feet) of the body. One can recognize the sign by slight leg swelling, boots or shoes not seeming to fit.

Physical Fatigue and Weakness: Unlike ordinary fatigue, this type of fatigue is debilitating and persistent. As we stated previously, the liver is not functioning correctly leaving the body unable to clean itself, leading to fatigue and weakness.

Insomnia: The inability to get to sleep or the inability to stay asleep is prevalent. Insomnia is commonly caused by pain, inflammation, and/or blood sugar fluctuations that result when the liver is not functioning properly.

Insomnia: The inability to get to sleep or stay asleep is prevalent. Insomnia is commonly caused by pain, inflammation, and/or blood sugar fluctuations that occur when the liver is not functioning correctly.

Itchy skin (without rash): itching and irritation can occur from bile salts that accumulate in the skin, even if there is no itch rash, as is sometimes present in liver disease.

Yellowing of the skin and/or eyes: This is an obvious symptom and if observed, the liver has had extensive damage. Bilirubin is a waste product from the breakdown of red blood cells that accumulates in the body and causes yellow coloring of both the skin and eyes.

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