Symptoms
Basically, it can be said that there are no symptoms that are characteristic of liver fibrosis. Often it is even asymptomatic, as the disease stage of liver fibrosis is not very advanced. Only after cirrhosis, symptoms that indicate liver disease are likely to occur.
The initial, untypical symptoms of a liver disease include fatigue and tiredness, loss of appetite and weight, digestive problems and alcohol intolerance, coagulation disorders such as frequent bleeding of the gums, etc. With the symptoms mentioned so far, the doctor does not think directly of liver fibrosis. This is because they are very unspecific and can also indicate a number of other diseases.
Only in advanced stages of fatty liver or liver fibrosis do more definite symptoms appear. Probably the most striking feature of a liver disease is jaundice (icterus). The skin and eyes of patients with icterus take on a yellow color.
This is caused by the fact that a breakdown product of the red blood pigment haemoglobin, bilirubin, can no longer be excreted properly. As a result, the bilirubin accumulates in the blood and colors the skin yellow. At the same time, the patient’s stool becomes lighter or even whitish, since the brown dye bilirubin does not leave the body with the faeces.
In healthy patients, the bilirubin is responsible for the brown color of the stool. In a few patients, advanced liver fibrosis manifests itself by itching all over the body. This symptom is also called pruritus.
The exact cause of pruritus is not clear. It is just as unclear why it does not occur in some liver cirrhoses, but it does occur in low grade liver fibrosis. In advanced stages of liver fibrosis or liver cirrhosis, characteristic skin markings can be observed in patients. Among the vascular drawings are so-called spider naevi, the caput medusae and sometimes petechiae. In addition, male patients may develop gynecomastia and abdominal baldness.
Diagnosis
Ultrasound is the diagnostic tool of choice. It offers a non-invasive and painless method for examining the liver status. Unfortunately, fibrosis of the liver is often diagnosed at a late stage, as symptoms usually appear late, which leads the patient to seek medical attention.
