Advanced Liver Disease

If you have been informed that you're at risk for liver disease, there are several things that you can do to prevent the disease from getting any worse. Even if you've been diagnosed with advanced liver disease, you can improve your health if you know how to recognize the symptoms and find natural supplements that will help to restore your body naturally.

One of the common signs of advanced liver disease is edema, which is the swelling of the feet. This swelling will occur as a result of the retention of salt and fluids in the body, since the liver is not processing the moisture that enters the body at a normal rate. In the beginning of advanced liver disease, the water will settle in the feet and ankles, which will become more swollen later in the day. However, if the condition is left untreated, the fluid can settle in the abdomen as well.

Jaundice, which is a yellowing of the skin and eyes, can also occur as a result of advanced liver disease. The skin turns yellow due to high levels of bilirubin in the blood, a substance that is supposed to be excreted from the body by the bile that that liver produces. When the liver is not able to produce bile at a regular rate, the bilirubin excess will be abundant and come through your pores. Hyperpigmentation is also quite common in patients that are suffering from advanced liver disease; the skin will start to become darker, and even skin that is not exposed to the sun will start to change color. In some cases, the skin will appear blotchy, which is an indication that severe liver damage is taking place.

Other signs of chronic liver disease may also include the presence of cholesterol deposits or xanthomas. Since the body uses bile as the way to get rid of cholesterol, the amount of this fatty substance in the blood will increase when the liver is not able to do its job. Extra fat in skin around the eyelids or creases in the soles of the feet are quite common, as well as additional fat in the palms of the hands, elbows and knees.

You may also want to talk to your doctor about your risk for advanced liver disease if you are continuing to have urinary tract infections. About one in five women experience this symptom, even though the correlation between liver disease and infections in the urinary tract is not quite known yet.

If you want to know more about the symptoms that are associated with advanced liver disease, you can visit informative sites like www.wisegeek.com or you can check out the resources that www.webmd.com has to offer.