Hepatomegaly Or Swollen Liver: Factors, Causes And Symptoms?

2023 Author: Lynn Laird | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 21:10

Filled with blood and made up of two lobes, the liver is located just below the diaphragm and is the largest organ in the body. It is not at all surprising therefore that it is responsible for more than 300 biological functions. What is more, it is the only organ in the human body that can regenerate itself. However, various factors can damage it and lead to a pretty nasty condition called hepatomegaly. In other words - swollen liver. What are the causes and symptoms to take into account?

When do we speak of hepatomegaly?

We speak of hepatomegaly when the liver increases in size. And as it is divided into two lobes, there are two types of hepatomegaly: homogeneous - the whole liver is affected and heterogeneous - only one lobe is affected. Moreover, this mainly depends on the disease causing the swollen liver. But can we detect it by touch?

So, the liver is probably a very large organ, but provided it is healthy, it is impossible to feel it by touch. On the other hand, when it has increased in size, one can experience a feeling of discomfort and even detect it by palpation. In this case, we speak of an abnormal consistency and pathology.

What causes the liver to increase in size?

Taking into account the many essential functions of the organism performed by the liver, the diseases responsible for its increase may be of too diverse origin. However, there are a few that are the most common.

Poor diet killed 11 million people in 2017 and is one of the most common causes of swollen liver. In association with diabetes and obesity, it causes the accumulation of fat in the liver. This condition is called fatty liver (non-alcoholic).

However, we speak of alcoholic fatty liver disease when the size of the liver has increased due to excessive alcohol consumption and the diseases it causes. This also causes the accumulation of fat in the largest organ in the body.

The liver can also be damaged by a build-up of toxins, for example, industrial chemicals and certain drugs. Other conditions that may be the cause of hepatomegaly are:

• Viral hepatitis (A, B, C, D, E).
• Liver cancer.
• Heart failure.
• Autoimmune diseases.

What are the symptoms of a swollen liver?

So, as you may have already understood, hepatomegaly is indeed a symptom indicating liver problems. However, it can be accompanied by other worrying signs such as fever, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and pain in the area where the liver is located.