Introduction
Swelling of the liver is called hepatomegaly in medical jargon. Actually, it is more correct to speak of an enlargement of the liver than of a swelling of the liver. Such an enlargement is usually not painful and is therefore in most cases a chance diagnosis during a physical examination or an ultrasound examination of the abdomen.
Causes of a swollen liver
There are numerous possible causes for an enlargement of the liver. A fatty liver is usually associated with an enlargement of the organ. The development of fatty liver is promoted by, among other things, chronic alcohol consumption, unhealthy excessive food intake and poorly controlled diabetes mellitus.
The fatty liver itself rarely causes symptoms. In the course of time, fatty liver can develop via inflammation to liver cirrhosis (transformation of the liver structure into connective and scar tissue without function). Cirrhosis of the liver can become noticeable, for example, through a water belly.
If cirrhosis of the liver is present, the risk of developing cancer of the liver is significantly increased. Another cause of an enlargement of the liver is the accumulation of certain metabolic products. These can occur as part of a metabolic disorder or storage disease, in which various substances are deposited in cells or organs.
Examples are Gaucher’s disease, amyloidosis or hemosiderosis. Swelling of the liver can also be caused by cardiac insufficiency. If the right heart is too weak to pump the blood volume that is produced, the blood congests back into the liver, resulting in an enlarged, so-called congested liver.
Infectious diseases such as hepatitis can also lead to swelling of the liver, especially in the acute phase. Cirrhosis of the liver can also be accompanied by an enlargement of the liver at times during its development, but in the final stage of cirrhosis of the liver the liver is usually reduced in size and has a humpy surface. If cysts or abscesses develop in the liver due to a bacterial infection, this can also lead to an enlargement of the liver.
Enlargement of the liver can also be indicative of cancer. In particular, some types of blood cancer (white blood cancer) lead to a pronounced enlargement of the liver. The cause of this can be explained as follows: In healthy people, the blood cells are produced in the bone marrow.
In the case of leukemia (blood cancer), cell clones develop which always produce the same type of cell and thereby displace the other cells from the bone marrow. These then have to be produced in other organs. This is called extramedullary blood formation, i.e. blood formation outside the bone marrow.
In most cases, the spleen and/or the liver are then used as an alternative site for the production of blood cells; the increased cell production causes the organ to swell. Cancer of the liver (liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma) or the presence of liver metastases, which have been caused by the spread of other types of cancer, can also lead to swelling of the organ. Pfeiffer’s glandular fever is an infection with the Epstein-Barr virus.
This is usually transmitted from one person to the next by saliva and leads to sore throat and severe swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck. Other organs can also be affected by the swelling. In the context of Pfeiffer’s glandular fever, a so-called hepatosplenomegaly (hepar = liver, splen = spleen, megalie = enlargement) often occurs.
A swelling of the liver and the spleen develops. Occasionally, only the spleen is affected. A serious complication of Pfeiffer’s glandular fever can be liver dysfunction and a rupture of the spleen (rupture of the spleen due to the severe swelling).
Alcohol is toxic to the liver above a certain level. This level is slightly different for each person, but can be roughly generalized. One speaks of a poisonous amount.
40 grams of alcohol correspond to about 400 ml of wine or about 800 ml of beer. In the further course of the disease an inflammation of the fatty liver (fatty liver hepatitis) develops, which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver over the course of several years. In the final stage of liver cirrhosis, the liver is usually no longer enlarged but rather smaller than a healthy liver and of a coarser structure.
- From 40 grams of alcohol per day for men and
- 20 grams of alcohol per day for women
An enlargement of the liver can indicate the presence of cancer. Liver cancer and blood cancer are of particular importance here.In the case of blood cancer, there is often an additional enlargement of the spleen, but only the liver may be affected. Blood cancer is often accompanied by accompanying symptoms such as fatigue.
Those affected suffer more often from infections and may bruise even after the smallest trauma. However, the symptoms vary greatly depending on the type of blood cancer. An enlargement of the liver after eating does not occur in this way. A swelling of the liver in connection with food intake is – if at all – a chronic process. In the course of this process, unbalanced, unhealthy and excessive food intake can lead to an enlarged and fatty liver.
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