Warning signs of a damaged liver from alcohol overconsumption

Alcohol consumption is one of the leading causes of liver damage. When you drink alcohol, different enzymes in your liver work to break it down so that it can be removed from your body, since alcohol is a potentially toxic substance. However, when your consumption is more than your liver's capacity to effectively process, then the alcohol can damage your liver.

While liver tissue can regenerate, continued damage can lead to the buildup of scar tissue. As scar tissue forms, it replaces healthy liver tissue. This can impair your liver’s ability to carry out its vital functions. It is essential to recognise the warning signs of a struggling liver early on, to limit the long-term complications.

Dry mouth is a common disorder characterized by a reduction in or total lack of saliva.

"Someone suffering from alcohol liver damage may also frequently experience feelings of dry mouth and an irrepressible thirst. Even after drinking lots of water, or soft drinks, the individual will find it impossible to satisfy these feelings," explained a team of specialists from Delamere, a private rehab clinic in Cheshire, UK.

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Liver disease like alcoholic hepatitis can cause frequent feelings of nausea, excessive vomiting as well as diarrhoea. Ongoing nausea is a reaction to excess waste products in the body, as your liver's ability to eliminate toxins decreases. This may be accompanied by fatigue and a consistent lack of energy, a low-grade fever and an overall feeling of being unwell.

Large amounts of alcohol consumption can suppress your appetite, which may lead to lack of proper nutrients and minerals in the body. Liver damage from alcohol can also cause sudden, unexplained weight loss. Cirrhosis is a late stage of scarring of the liver often caused by chronic alcoholism. Cirrhosis may make it more difficult for your body to process nutrients, leading to weakness and weight loss.

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A person suffering from alcohol-related liver damage could feel pain or discomfort in the upper right side of the abdomen. This is a sign of the liver swelling up due to alcohol overconsumption. A common symptom of alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD), liver swelling can further cause scarring, leading to Cirrhosis, the final stage of liver disease. Moreover, a large proportion of people who develop liver cancer have pre-existing cirrhosis.

According to John Hopkins Medicine, those with cirrhosis often develop kidney problems, intestinal bleeding, fluid in the belly, confusion and other severe infections. About 30% of people with alcoholic liver disease have hepatitis C virus. Others have hepatitis B virus. About 50% of people with ARLD have gallstones. As per other health portals, symptoms and warning signs of liver disease also include swelling in the legs and ankles, itchy skin, dark urine color, pale stool color and tendency to bruise easily.