As the largest and most functionally diverse organ in the human body, the liver is regarded both as a resilient and an essential player in numerous mechanisms related to the human body. On top of its role in detoxification and digestion, the liver also plays a significant role in synthesizing vital plasma proteins. It is essential in regulating iron, lymphoid function, and lipid metabolism. Lastly, it is regarded well for its role in iron homeostasis, iron storage, and human autoimmunity.
The liver has complex and interactive functions, causing it to be an interesting topic of experimental human mechanism studies. Such studies watch out for artificially or chemically induced liver damage, caused by either injury or failure, because of the potential complications resulting to acute or end-stage liver failure, or worse.
Here are some signs and symptoms to watch out for liver damage.
Fatigue
Chronic fatigue is a set of symptoms that covers a range of other symptoms, including lethargy, general malaise, and exhaustion. It’s a common symptom for many different conditions but is also most readily apparent as a common complaint among patients with various liver diseases. In particular, extreme tiredness that never seems to go away has been prevalent among patients with cholestatic liver disease caused by primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and those with chronic liver disease.
According to numerous experimental studies, chronic fatigue often suggests liver diseases due to changes in neurotransmission within the brain. This happens because the buildup of toxins caused by the liver’s inability to clear them due to liver damage disrupts brain functions. The toxin buildup due to the damaged liver may also cause confusion, disorientation, and forgetfulness, all well-known liver damage symptoms.
Unfortunately, this particular symptom of liver damage is tricky to rely on as it is untreatable and sometimes even psychological in nature. However, it is also a common symptom affecting about 20 percent of the entire population for various reasons other than liver damage.
