Serious Symptoms Of Fatty Liver Disease

Nausea and Vomiting

Nausea and vomiting are some of the most classically observed signs of liver disease. They might occur in individuals who have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and they're also common in those whose liver disease is related to alcohol. Sometimes taking large amounts of acetaminophen and other similar drugs can have a damaging effect on the liver. Other diseases, like hepatitis or hemochromatosis, can cause the liver to become damaged over time.

When patients experience nausea and vomiting as a result of liver disease, they might not realize they're linked to the liver at first. Thus, patients might not see their doctor about the symptoms until they've lasted for quite a long time. However, it's important to get liver disease diagnosed and treated early to prevent irreparable damage to the liver. When the vomiting and nausea are related to the liver, patients will also often experience jaundice, weight loss, and generalized fatigue. The treatment will vary depending on what type of fatty liver disease a patient has.

Confusion And Difficulty Focusing

Patients with fatty liver disease may also find themselves dealing with confusion and difficulty focusing. When individuals are feeling fatigued, there's often a sense of fogginess that comes along with it, but the difficulty focusing can also become even more serious. Severe confusion is a neurological symptom, and it can be a key warning sign of cirrhosis. Cirrhosis occurs after chronic liver disease has caused the liver to become permanently scarred. Advanced cirrhosis can lead to liver failure. Since the human body cannot function without the liver, this condition can be life-threatening unless patients get a liver transplant.

In addition to the difficulty focusing and confusion, many patients experiencing cirrhosis might be unusually drowsy and have slurred speech. They may appear outwardly as though they're drunk even if they haven't had any alcohol. This is a condition called hepatic encephalopathy, and it occurs when a patient's brain function declines because of severe, progressive liver disease. In this case, the liver isn't removing toxins adequately from the blood, which leads toxins to build up in the bloodstream.