Is it possible to detect liver disease through changes in the skin and other symptoms? Most people with liver problems detect it very late. When health is already very compromised is when the doctor detects failures through examinations. However, through changes in the skin, abnormalities in the liver can be detected. Here are some symptoms and their effects.
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Changes in the skin that indicate liver problems.
If liver disease is detected early, there are more possibilities for its control and treatment to prevent it from getting worse, many serious diseases occur when liver disease is detected late. The skin can give us many references about the state of the liver, such as increased bilirubin, jaundice, fluid retention, etc. These and other conditions can give us very clear clues about a latent liver problem.
1. Body Itching.
The first of the symptoms is constant itching in all areas of the body. This itch can in turn indicate cancer, kidney failure, among other conditions. Therefore, if you have not paid attention to that itch, it should be borne in mind that it is the first test of liver problems.
2. Palmar redness.
Palmar erythema is a condition that is related to the hand, which can become red to very tender. The area that affects the erythema is around the palm, that is, where the muscles of the hand (hypothenar and thenar) are found. As an isolated symptom, it is not related to liver deficiency. However, if it is combined with other symptoms such as itching, this may be the case.
Those who suffer from conditions such as hyperthyroidism, arthritis as well as pregnant women suffer from palmar erythema. So, it is a symptom of multiple conditions, it is advisable to watch carefully when it occurs along with other symptoms.
3. Yellowish color.
This symptom is well known, as the eyeball, as well as all the skin, begin to take a yellowish color. What is this about? The Jaundice occurs when the liver has dysfunction and unable to metabolize bilirubin in the body. This is excreted in the feces normally, when the liver is damaged this substance goes up to the pores.
This causes the skin to turn the color that stool normally should be. The bilirubin that causes jaundice is nothing more than a substance derived from the lysis of aged red blood cells. The spleen destroys them and as a result produces this compound, which is discharged through the feces, giving it its characteristic color. This color passes to the skin when the liver is diseased.
4. Bruises on the skin.
Bruises on the skin or hematomas, is another of the symptoms of a delicate liver health. The liver is responsible for synthesizing some of the proteins related to clotting, such as prothrombin. Hence, those people whose liver is in a diseased state have a tendency to hemorrhage.
5. Inflammation in various areas of the body.
Like the kidneys, the liver is responsible for fluid retention in the body when it is not healthy. According to several studies, this swelling occurs in areas such as the legs and in the ventral region. It is also common in the feet of pregnant women.
6. Purple spots.
When the liver degenerates, a symptom that can also appear is ecchymosis. This represents purple patches on large areas of the skin, such as the back. Those livers that are in remission from cirrhosis are also prone to failing to produce clotting agents. This results in the purple spots.
7. Spider veins.
It is not certain how much relationship the liver has with this symptom. Telangiectasia or varicose veins, also known as spider veins, is the inflammation of a certain arteriole that is surrounded by a multitude of inflamed blood vessels. This can be caused by disorders of the liver, as well as other endocrine systems. This symptom is usually attributed to drastic changes in a woman’s estrogen.