Fatty Enlarged Liver Symptoms, Causes, Treatments and with Splenomegaly

Hepatomegaly is an enlargement of the liver. As we all know, the liver is a vital organ that performs many functions. Some of these functions include detoxifying the blood, regulating hormones, and manufacturing bile.

An enlarged liver is an indication of a more serious condition. It may be enlarged because of inflammation (hepatitis), obesity, or malignancy. It might be the result of an acute infection or severe chronic liver disease. Hepatomegaly is generally assessed via ultrasound examination (1).

An ultrasound of the liver can be used to detect both size and texture (as in an analysis of the echogenicity) of the organ. The texture of the liver is an indirect measure of its health. If a liver is enlarged due to cirrhosis it can also be assessed by doing a biopsy.

Symptoms of a Fatty Enlarged Livers

As with any disease, hepatomegaly has its symptoms (2). The most common are easy and hard jaundice, fatigue, and weight loss. However, hepatomegaly can also present other symptoms which are specific to certain types of hepatomegaly. These symptoms are:

1. FATIGUE: Fatigue can be a symptom of a fatty liver although it is more common in the liver diseases mentioned above. Fatigue is also present in other conditions such as hepatitis (a different type of fatty liver) and diabetes.

2. Jaundice: Jaundice is high (yellow or orange) bilirubin levels in the blood due to the presence of extra bile that cannot be excreted out of the body and is making its way into the bloodstream leading to increased bilirubin levels. Jaundice can also result from other causes related to the liver such as gallbladder disease or cancer.

3. NAUSEA: Nausea can be a symptom of liver diseases as well as hepatitis.

4. DARK-COLORED URINE AND LIGHT-COLORED STOOLS: Dark urine or light-colored stools can be a sign of hepatitis.

5. LOSS OF APPETITE: This symptom is also a sign of other liver diseases as well as diabetes. The loss of appetite is very common with diabetes and it may also be a symptom of hepatitis. However, the loss of appetite is not present in fatty liver disease.

6. ITCHY SKIN: Itchy skin can be a sign of liver disease. It can also be a sign of kidney disease or diabetes.

7. SKIN RASHES: Developing a rash is not normal and if you notice this symptom it is advisable to visit your doctor as soon as possible because it could mean that something is wrong with your liver. It may even be another symptom of hepatitis, which most people consider to be one of the symptoms of fatty liver disease (hepatitis C).

8. ENLARGED SPLEEN (SPLENOMEGALY): This is one of the symptoms of fatty liver disease. Splenomegaly is an enlargement of the spleen. This can be caused by tumors, blood infections (sepsis), and parasitic infections. This sometimes could be the driving force behind many hepatomegaly cases.

Causes of Enlarged Fatty Liver

Now that we have seen its symptoms, let us learn about its causes. The causes of fatty liver are many and they include:

1. ALCOHOL ABUSE: Alcohol abuse is one of the leading causes of liver disease and therefore, it is also one of the leading causes of fatty liver. If you consume too much alcohol in a short period, your liver cannot keep pace with it. And this leads to the accumulation of fat in your liver (hepatomegaly).

2. HIGH CHOLESTEROL: High cholesterol can lead to high triglyceride levels in your blood which can eventually lead to fat accumulation in your liver. This increases the risk of fatty liver.

3. OBESITY: Increased weight can lead to fatty liver disease. It is also a very common cause of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Obesity is the most common cause of NAFLD.

4. CHRONIC INFECTIONS: Another factor that can lead to fatty liver is chronic infections such as hepatitis B and hepatitis C infection. Viral hepatitis, especially the Hepatitis C virus, leads to fat accumulation on both sides of the liver (hepatic lobular hyperplasia).

5. GENETIC DISORDERS: A genetic disorder is another common cause of fatty liver. This is where a small difference in the structure of your genes will lead to the accumulation of fat in your liver. The most common genetic disorders that lead to a fatty liver are Bardet–Biedl syndrome, Wilson disease, and hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC).

6. HEPATIC STEATOSIS: Also known as the fatty liver is the most common liver disease that is caused by the storage of extra fat in the liver. This is sometimes found to be the cause behind your enlarged liver.

Treatment for Hepatomegaly Fatty Liver

It is a delight knowing that Hepatomegaly which is one of the serious cases of the liver has a treatment. If you look back into the causes of the disease most of them are related to lifestyle. If it wasn’t for some genetic disorder cause, Hepatomegaly would have been considered a lifestyle disease.

If you want to treat Hepatomegaly, you have to make a change to your way of living. This includes:

1. REDUCE ALCOHOL INTAKE: If you want to lower the risk of having fatty liver disease, you should reduce your alcohol intake. Alcohol is a leading cause of fatty liver and if you choose to consume more, your chances increase.

2. REDUCE SUGAR INTAKE AND SATURATED FAT: Although it is always good to eat healthy food, we mustn’t put too much of them into our systems which will lead to high cholesterol levels in our body, eventually leading to fatty liver disease.

3. EXERCISE REGULARLY: Regular exercise will stimulate the heart rate which will help blood circulation and increase blood flow in the vessels all over your body including those vessels feeding the liver.

4. START A HEALTHY DIET: If you want to start treating hepatic steatosis, a healthy diet is the best way to start. It will help you reduce the amount of fat stored in your liver and increase the rate at which the liver is releasing fatty acids.

HEPATOMEGALY WITH FATTY LIVER

For a lot of people, these two cases are the same and can be used interchangeably. But even though they are both involved with the liver, they have their differences. Fatty liver also known as Hepatic Steatosis is related to Hepatomegaly as is one of the causes that leads to it.

Difference Between Fatty Liver and Enlarged Liver

Hepatic Steatosis or fatty liver is the most common form of fatty liver. People with Hepatic Steatosis are diagnosed more often than those people with an enlarged liver. Fatty Liver is more common than Enlarged Liver in some cases, but both of them have their risks and effects on the body.

The most frequent symptom of Hepatic Steatosis is an enlarged liver accompanied by palpable or non-palpable hepatomegaly and a lack of physical signs or symptoms in the body other than fat accumulation in the liver, which can occur gradually over some time.

Fatty Liver With Splenomegaly

Splenomegaly is listed as the symptom of Hepatomegaly. But it is still considered to be separated from the enlarged liver because it is an abnormal symptom that must be checked for in every case of an enlarged liver.

Splenomegaly is found in many patients with the case of fatty liver. This is a common thing to see and not an exaggeration to make out a relation between the two. But remember, there are many cases when splenomegaly goes together with Hepatomegaly, but they are not always the same.

Conclusion

What you should take from this article is that each case of an enlarged liver requires a professional check-up. This can be a blood test or a liver scan. If you don’t have any of those, you should go to the doctor and talk to them about your case and ask for their help.

 

Article Studies, References, and Resources

1. What causes hepatomegaly? By Zia Sherrell, MPH https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/hepatomegaly-enlarged-liver
2. Hepatomegaly by Annie Stuart – https://www.webmd.com/hepatitis/enlarged-liver-causes