1. You experience sudden weight gain.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, sudden weight gain could be a sign that you have liver cirrhosis, a disease that replaces healthy liver tissue with scar tissue, blocking blood flow and inhibiting the organ from working properly.
2. Your mouth or eyes are dry.
From your age to the medications you might be taking, plenty of things could be blamed for dry eyes and a dry mouth. However, one possible culprit is Primary Biliary Cholangitis, a chronic disease that may cause severe damage to your liver.
3. You get tired easily.
One of the most incredibly common signs of liver damage is chronic fatigue, which according to a study published in the Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology, could occur due to changes in neurotransmission within the brain.
4. Your skin itches.
One of the noticeable symptoms of Primary Biliary Cholangitis, a chronic disease that destroys the bile ducts in your liver, is itchy skin. Sure, your skin might just be dry, but if it's becoming a regular thing, it's certainly worth checking out.
5. You regularly get chills.
Having a chronic case of the chills that no amount of cozy blankets can fix? According to experts at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, this could be a sign of cholestasis during liver disease, because the flow of bile to the organs is reduced or stopped completely.
6. Your palm turns red.
Speaking of red flags, do you suddenly have red palms for no reason? It could be due to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition which is caused by too much fat stored in the liver.
7. You bruise easily.
As you get older, your body can start to bruise more easily due to your skin getting thinner. But if there is no explanation for why more black marks are showing up on your body, it might be a sign of liver damage.
8. Your sleep pattern is inconsistent.
According to a study published in the Journal of Chest Diseases and Tuberculosis, one possible culprit of sleep pattern inconsistency is liver cirrhosis. This disease makes it especially hard to get a good night's rest, even if you carefully skip the foods that trouble your sleep.
9. You notice changes in your personality.
Some liver diseases like hepatic encephalopathy can cause memory loss and changes in personality. With all those toxins building up in your brain, you may experience decreased mental function, causing you to not act like yourself.
10. You experience swelling of your legs or ankles.
The healthy liver produces a protein called albumin, which prevents fluid from leaking out of the blood vessels and into surrounding tissues. Very low levels of albumin due to liver disease can cause a buildup of fluid in the legs, ankles, and abdomen.
11. You usually feel bloated.
If your bloating can't be blamed on a big meal, it might be due to the buildup of fluid in the abdomen, which is also known as ascites. Since abdominal swelling is one of the most important warning signs of liver damage, it's a good idea to make a doctor's appointment.
12. Your breasts become enlarged.
If you are a man and you notice that your breasts are getting bigger, you should get yourself checked as it could be a warning sign of fatty liver disease. The growth of excess breast tissue, also known as gynecomastia, occurs due to an imbalance of hormones estrogen and testosterone.
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