How to check if there is any problem with the liver

Liver health issues are something that everyone cannot ignore, because we will find that many people in our lives are susceptible to some liver diseases, so we should also learn some self-examination methods in our daily lives, such as whether we often feel weak, lack of physical strength, easy fatigue, or whether there are some symptoms of digestive organ diseases, such as nausea, vomiting, anorexia and other problems. We must be vigilant.

1. Systemic symptoms

Hepatitis B patients often feel weak, physically exhausted, easily fatigued, and have no energy. The reasons may be damaged liver function, reduced food intake, food digestion and absorption disorders, and insufficient nutrient intake. On the other hand, due to inflammation, consumption increases, and the ingested substances cannot be fully metabolized to meet the body's needs due to damaged liver function. The third aspect may be the mental and psychological stress caused by hepatitis B, which affects rest and sleep. Insomnia and nightmares may be related to this.

2. Digestive tract symptoms

The liver is an important digestive organ, and the bile secreted by the liver is necessary for food digestion. In hepatitis, bile secretion decreases, affecting the digestion and absorption of food. Inflammation of the liver may also cause blood flow obstruction in the hepatic sinusoids, leading to congestion and edema of the gastrointestinal tract, affecting the digestion and absorption of food. Therefore, hepatitis B often causes symptoms such as loss of appetite, nausea, aversion to oil, upper abdominal discomfort, and bloating.

3. Jaundice

The liver is the center of bilirubin metabolism. Due to disorders in the uptake, binding, secretion, and excretion of bilirubin, the bilirubin concentration in the blood increases. When the bilirubin concentration in the blood increases, bilirubin is excreted from the urine, making the urine darker. It is the earliest manifestation of jaundice. However, sweating in hot weather, lack of water intake, and some medications can also cause changes in urine color, so you should be careful to distinguish them. When the bilirubin concentration in the blood continues to increase, it can cause yellowing of the eyes and skin, which is called jaundice. Due to the excretion disorder of bile acid, the concentration of bile acid in the blood increases, and excessive bile acid is deposited in the skin, stimulating the peripheral nerves and causing skin itching.

4. Pain in the liver area

There are no pain nerves inside the liver, so hepatitis B generally does not cause severe pain. However, there is a very thin membrane on the surface of the liver, called the hepatic capsule. There are pain nerves distributed on the hepatic capsule. When the liver becomes inflamed and swollen, the hepatic capsule becomes tense and the pain nerves are stimulated. As a result, some patients may have discomfort and dull pain in the right upper abdomen and right hypochondrium. If the pain is severe, you should also pay attention to the possibility of biliary tract disease, liver cancer, and gastrointestinal disease to avoid misdiagnosis.