Is liver pain dangerous?

Since pain in the liver actually only occurs when there is swelling of the liver, it should always be taken seriously. Causes of liver swelling can be serious diseases such as liver cancer or blood cancer. Also an enlargement of the liver as part of a fatty liver disease can sometimes cause pain in rare cases. Overall, the occurrence of recurrent liver pain needs to be clarified and a doctor should be consulted. Much more frequently, ailments in the gallbladder area lead to supposed liver pain, and in this case too, a doctor should be consulted sooner or later.In most cases, the disease itself is not acutely dangerous, but requires treatment if symptoms recur.

Localization of liver pain

Liver pain is usually localized in the right upper abdomen in the area of the right costal arch. Often the pain is perceived as diffuse and not clearly limited to one area. For this reason they are often confused with other causes.

For example, liver pain can be mistakenly interpreted as kidney or intestinal pain. Depending on its extent, liver pain can also lead to flank or back pain, which is why it is often misinterpreted as a problem in the spinal column. Liver pain can also radiate into the right shoulder.

The same applies to the gall bladder. In contrast, pain in the spleen or pancreas projects itself preferably into the left shoulder. If liver pain exists, it can usually be aggravated by applying pressure under the right costal arch.

This is also known as pressure pain. In this case, however, an inflamed gallbladder (cholecystitis) must also be considered for differential diagnosis, which is also accompanied by pressure pain under the right costal arch. Liver pain can radiate into the back and therefore also lead to back pain in the middle back.

This is because an enlarged liver can put pressure on surrounding structures and nerves. These nerves run between the ribs in the chest area and can carry the pain impulses into the spine. It is therefore rare that pain that is actually generated by the liver is misinterpreted as a slipped disc of BWS, blocked vertebrae or muscular problem and is not recognized as actual liver pain for a long time.

More often than liver pain, however, the colicky pain radiates into the back when the bile duct is blocked by gallstones. The bile duct is blocked by a gallstone, causing undulating spasms of the gallbladder and bile duct, which are intended to expel the stone. This is very painful for the affected persons.

Typically, however, the pain radiating from bile problems is the left shoulder. Inflammations in the area of the pancreas can in some cases cause pain close to the liver. Relatively typical for an acute inflammation of the pancreas is the belt-shaped pain in the upper abdomen with radiation often radiating into the back. A doctor should be consulted as soon as possible. Acute pancreatitis can be very dangerous and usually requires hospitalization.