Liver disease is a very broad term that encompasses many different types of damage to the liver. Liver disease can include infectious or non-infectious hepatitis, fatty liver disease, scarring or cirrhosis due to a number of causes, liver failure, and cancers or tumors of the liver. Examples of liver diseases include hepatitis A, B, or C, autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, hemochromatosis, hyperoxaluria, oxalosis, Wilson's disease, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, liver cancer, bile duct cancer, liver adenoma, chronic alcohol abuse, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Signs and symptoms associated with liver disease vary and are dependent upon the exact type of liver disease that is present. Examples of signs and symptoms of liver disease include
- jaundice,
- abdominal pain and swelling,
- itchy skin,
- dark urine color,
- nausea,
- vomiting,
- chronic fatigue,
- pale stool color,
- bloody stool,
- tar-colored stool,
- swelling in the ankles and legs,
- loss of appetite, and
- easy bruising.
Cause of liver disease
Genetics, viral infections, cancer, drug overdoses, immune system problems, and alcohol use can cause liver disease.
Other liver disease symptoms and signs
- Abdominal Pain
- Abdominal Swelling
- Bloody Stool
- Chronic Fatigue
- Dark Urine Color
- Easy Bruising
- Itchy Skin
- Jaundice
- Loss of Appetite
- Nausea
- Pale Stool Color
- Swelling in the Legs and Ankles
- Tar-Colored Stool
- Vomiting
Main Article on Liver Disease Symptoms and Signs

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Jameson, J. Larry, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 20th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2018.