Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Symptoms and question

Hi I fear I my liver is worse off then it shows on ultrasound and bloods. Bloods came back normal platets normal ast, alt ggt, Bilb all normal, ultrasound shows mild fatty liver with no lesions, showed the doctor my visual symptoms, what seems to be spider naevi he said they look normal, my skin WAS itchy about 2 months ago and it wasn't that bad where I was constantly scratching but it was noticeable that lasted for like a week it was on and off and it's been about 2 month since I've felt itchy. Palms are mildly red, it seems they turn normal colour when hands are above waist but you can still see very mild red sections, and ankles were swollen for about a year it seems like it's slowly disappeared as I can now see my ankles alot better mind you it wasn't bad before but still noticeable. Is it possible to have any of these symptoms with JUST mild fatty liver or even fibrosis? I read some stuff saying you can have symptoms of a more serious liver problem even if it's just a fatty liver. I don't drink all of this started about a year after taking prescribed meds. I'm 28 and weight about 220 193cm tall.
4 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
683231 tn?1467323017
“ What are the symptoms of fatty liver disease?
Both NAFLD and alcoholic fatty liver disease are usually silent diseases with few or no symptoms. If you do have symptoms, you may feel tired or have discomfort in the upper right side of your abdomen.

How is fatty liver disease diagnosed?
Because there are often no symptoms, it is not easy to find fatty liver disease. Your doctor may suspect that you have it if you get abnormal results on liver tests that you had for other reasons. To make a diagnosis, your doctor will use:

Your medical history
A physical exam
Various tests, including blood and imaging tests, and sometimes a biopsy.”

https://medlineplus.gov/fattyliverdisease.html
Helpful - 0
683231 tn?1467323017
Spider nevi (plural) can be caused by injuries, sun exposure, hormonal changes, or liver disease, but often the cause is unknown. For most people, the nevi are not a medical concern.

Simply being dehydrated can cause ankle swelling

“ Stay Hydrated – dehydration causes the constriction of blood vessels leading to the forcing of fluids into the extracellular spaces between cells leading to retention particularly in the lower limbs.”

Red palms can have many causes including none at all. They would look like a rash. Article has a picture of what it looks like and causes.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320593

Itching could be as simple as a new soap. If it was from liver disease your bilirubin would be elevated and you would likely also experience jaundice along with the itching and dark ruin similar in color to cola soda.
Helpful - 0
11 Comments
I've heard you can have normal bloods and have symptoms tho also just the fact that I was told I have a fatty liver and have all these symptoms indicating a more severe form of liver disease  shouldn't that be a cause for concern? Unless you can have red palms and all the others I've listed with just simple nafld
Listen to your doctor.

Have you had a Fibroscan or liver biopsy? Do you have any fibrosis (liver scarring)? If you don’t have serious liver damage like a fibrosis score of either F3 advanced fibrosis or F4 liver cirrhosis your symptoms are not from liver disease.
I have not have a fibroscan yet, I was referred to a GI/hepto and have an appointment in a couple weeks after new years sadly. Thanks for your replies first off. I have another question are platets usually low in fibrosis?
Platelets are low in cirrhosis F4 fibrosis.

I developed liver disease after many years of being infected with hepatitis C. I had liver biopsies every 5 years. Over over 20 years I progressed from F1 to F4. I was diagnosed with F4 fibrosis (aka cirrhosis) in January 2008

My platelets were about 85 before I was cured of hepatitis c in 2015. Now they are slightly improved at about 110 but still below minimum normal of 150
Low platelet counts are often the first lab test to go out of normal with cirrhosis. Currently my liver enzymes are normal. Liver enzymes are elevated when something is attacking the liver. Since my hepatitis C is now cured my liver enzymes are in normal range but I still have liver cirrhosis.
Do you continue to have symptoms?
As I said I have a slightly low platelet count.

I did have esophageal varicies in the past which required banding but have not had a reoccurrence. Technically  that was a symptom but not something I would have known about without having an upper endoscopy to look for them.

The only symptom I’ve ever had that I noticed was lower leg edema which I still have but it’s better than it was.

My right palm had some redness but I figured out it was from using a mouse at work a lot. I have hundreds of cherry angiomas which could be liver related or age related.

I very much doubt what you are experiencing is liver related. Symptoms of liver disease generally don’t happen until the liver is extensively damaged to the point of cirrhosis (F4) which generally takes decades of liver insult and injury. Liver damage from most causes is slowly accumulated over many years and is a silent illness meaning fir most people there are no symptoms until liver disease is very advanced.
As you said all your labs and ultrasound are normal so you have no clinical reason to believe your liver is damaged.

You said “I fear my liver is worse” without evidence. They only thing driving this is just your thoughts. There is no medical reason at present to support your fears. My best suggestion is to try to relax until you know more.

Worry never solves anything it only steals the joy from today. Worry will not change whatever future is coming it is wasted energy that could be better used elsewhere in your life.
My best suggestion would be to put your energy into changing your circumstances. If your overweight try to get to a healthy weight. Chose a healthy diet. You can improve your fatty liver condition and your overall health.

If being overweight is the cause of your fatty liver you can save your own health. Mild early liver injury is easily reversed if you can stop the root cause.
Im convinced I have a liver problem. I'll wait to see the GI. Thanks for your response.
Im just curious why you are convinced you have a liver problem without any medical testing to corroborate your  belief. Do you mean more than what your doctor has told that you have fatty liver? Having a fatty liver is a liver problem but you should not really have any notable symptoms unless you have advanced fibrosis (F4) the first most notable symptoms would be lower leg edema and a low platelet count. Also your ultrasound would likely say something like mine does “liver showed a coarsened  echotexture consistent with cirrhosis.

Best of luck to you. I sincerely hope you get good news that you do not have a fibrosis score of F2, F3 or F4

At worst I’m going to guess you might have F1 mild scarring that with proper  care can be reversed.

Happy holidays
683231 tn?1467323017
Normal means normal. It doesn’t really sound like you have any symptoms that can’t be explained in other ways. If your symptoms were due to liver disease your  test results would reflect that.
Helpful - 1
683231 tn?1467323017
Believe your doctor would be my best advice
Helpful - 1
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Cirrhosis of the Liver Community

Top Hepatitis Answerers
317787 tn?1473358451
DC
683231 tn?1467323017
Auburn, WA
Avatar universal
Ro, Romania
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.