Unusually Enlarged Liver: What Causes Sudden Liver Enlargement? Doctor Explains

What can cause your liver to grow an extra inch? Here is what the doctor wants you to know about this condition.

Unusually Enlarged Liver: What Causes Sudden Liver Enlargement? Doctor Explains

An enlarged liver can be a sign of something serious happening inside your body. Among the organs that help in the digestion process of the body is the liver. The liver provides the required passage to the blood coming out from the stomach and intestines. It then processes this blood and breaks it down to create nutrients that are easier to use for the rest of the body. Apart from this, the liver also performs many other important bodily functions, including filtering waste or toxins from the blood and regulating blood cholesterol.

An unexplained or sudden change in the size of the liver not only affects the entire process that takes place inside the liver but also hampers the body's complete function. Today, in this article we will look at some of the causes of liver enlargement and how you can spot them at the early stage to avoid major health complications.

What Is An Enlarged Liver?

Enlarged liver, also known by the medical name hepatomegaly is a severe condition in which the liver is swollen beyond its normal size. This sudden change in size can indicate that there is a severe, underlying condition that requires immediate attention! Sometimes it can be due to liver diseases that can be caused by unhealthy eating habits, or overconsumption of alcohol that can inflame the liver walls, and increase its size abnormally. However, there can be more than this which we have jotted below.

What Diseases Can Cause Liver Enlargement?

A change in your liver size can happen due to several reasons, mostly related to your dietary mistakes. Some of the other diseases that can also contribute majorly to liver enlargement are:

1. Excessive consumption of alcohol
2. Congestive heart failure
3. Liver cancer or other cancers that have spread to the liver
4. Inherited disorders, such as Glycogen Storage Disease
5. Hemochromatosis. This condition usually leads to the buildup of excess iron in the body tissues, majorly in the liver.

Some of the other causes of an enlarged liver may include -

1. Alcohol-associated hepatitis
2. Toxic hepatitis
3. Viral hepatitis
4. Fatty liver diseases
5. Mononucleosis

Is Enlarged Liver Life-Threatening?

This totally depends on the type of liver enlargement -- short-term (acute) condition that can be reversed or a long-term (chronic) condition that can cause slow but progressive damage to the liver. However, timely medical intervention is important in both cases as when left untreated liver enlargement or hepatomegaly can lead to heart failure and cancer.

Enlarged Liver Symptoms

No one will directly be able to notice a change in the size of the liver. However, in such cases, the patients may notice some common symptoms such as bloating or fullness in the belly, or an ache in the upper right abdomen (at the location of the liver).

But, when there is an unexplained growth in the size of the liver, one may notice some signs, such as:

1. Extreme fatigue
2. Lack of appetite
3. Nausea or vomiting
4. Jaundice, or a change in skin and eye color
5. Dark colured urine
6. Itchy skin
7. Enlarged spleen

Can Enlarged Liver Symptoms Be Reversed?

The condition is a result of an acute condition, and therefore treating that root cause can effectively help in getting your liver health back on track. Here is a list of things you can consider doing:

1. Avoid alcohol
2. Keep a close check on your weight
3. Control your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels
4. Eat a healthy diet
5. Exercise regularly

(Note: The disease can get out of control if proper medical care is not given to the patient. Therefore, we suggest you visit a doctor immediately as and when any of the symptoms listed above appear.)