- Acute Flaccid Myelitis
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Arteriovenous Malformations
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Back Pain
- Brain Aneurysm
- Brain Tumors
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Childhood Brain Tumors
- Delirium
- Dementia
- Hemorrhagic Stroke
- Ischemic Stroke
- Memory
- Meningitis
- Mild Cognitive Impairment
- Movement Disorders
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Neuroblastoma
- Neuromuscular Disorders
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Polio and Post-Polio Syndrome
- Speech and Language Problems in Children
- Stroke
- Transient Ischemic Attack
- Tremor
- Walking Problems
- West Nile Virus
- A1C
- Blood Glucose
- Diabetes
- Diabetes and Pregnancy
- Diabetes Complications
- Diabetes in Children and Teens
- Diabetes Medicines
- Diabetes Type 1
- Diabetes Type 2
- Diabetic Diet
- Diabetic Eye Problems
- Diabetic Foot
- Diabetic Heart Disease
- Diabetic Kidney Problems
- Diabetic Nerve Problems
- How to Prevent Diabetes
- Hyperglycemia
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Prediabetes
- Abortion
- Breast Cancer
- Breast Diseases
- Breast Reconstruction
- Breastfeeding
- Cervical Cancer
- Cervical Cancer Screening
- Cesarean Delivery
- Childbirth
- Ectopic Pregnancy
- Endometriosis
- Female Infertility
- Health Problems in Pregnancy
- High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy
- HIV and Pregnancy
- Hormone Replacement Therapy
- HPV
- Hysterectomy
- Infections and Pregnancy
- Mammography
- Mastectomy
- Menopause
- Menstruation
- Miscarriage
- Ovarian Cancer
- Ovarian Cysts
- Ovarian Disorders
- Pelvic Floor Disorders
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
- Pelvic Pain
- Period Pain
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- Pregnancy
- Pregnancy and Drug Use
- Pregnancy and Opioids
- Premenstrual Syndrome
- Prenatal Care
- Prenatal Testing
- Primary Ovarian Insufficiency
- Sexual Problems in Women
- Stillbirth
- Teenage Pregnancy
- Trichomoniasis
- Tubal Ligation
- Uterine Cancer
- Uterine Diseases
- Uterine Fibroids
- Vaginal Bleeding
- Vaginal Cancer
- Vaginal Diseases
- Vaginitis
- Vulvar Cancer
- Vulvar Disorders
- Yeast Infections
- Alcohol
- Calcium
- Child Nutrition
- Cholesterol
- Cholesterol Levels: What You Need to Know
- Cholesterol Medicines
- DASH Eating Plan
- Eating Disorders
- Food Allergy
- HDL: The “Good” Cholesterol
- High Cholesterol in Children and Teens
- How to Lower Cholesterol
- How to Lower Cholesterol with Diet
- Infant and Newborn Nutrition
- LDL: The “Bad” Cholesterol
- Malabsorption Syndromes
- Nutrition for Older Adults
- Pregnancy and Nutrition
- Toddler Nutrition
- Triglycerides
- VLDL Cholesterol
- Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
- Ataxia Telangiectasia
- Brain Malformations
- Cerebral Palsy
- Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
- Chiari Malformation
- Cleft Lip and Palate
- Color Blindness
- Congenital Heart Defects
- Craniofacial Abnormalities
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
- Friedreich Ataxia
- Genetic Counseling
- Hemophilia
- Huntington’s Disease
- Hydrocephalus
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Neural Tube Defects
- Neurofibromatosis
- Newborn Screening
- Osteogenesis Imperfecta
- Prader-Willi Syndrome
- Pregnancy and Medicines
- Rett Syndrome
- Sickle Cell Disease
- Spina Bifida
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy
- Tay-Sachs Disease
- Tourette Syndrome
- Tuberous Sclerosis
- Usher Syndrome
- Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
- Allergy
- Animal Bites
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Aplastic Anemia
- Asthma
- Asthma in Children
- Childhood Leukemia
- Childhood Vaccines
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
- COVID-19 Vaccines
- Cryptosporidiosis
- Eosinophilic Disorders
- Eosinophilic Esophagitis
- Giant Cell Arteritis
- Hay Fever
- HIV
- HIV and Infections
- HIV in Women
- Hodgkin Lymphoma
- Infectious Diseases
- Infectious Mononucleosis
- Juvenile Arthritis
- Kawasaki Disease
- Lymphedema
- Lymphoma
- Multiple Myeloma
- Pemphigus
- Pneumocystis Infections
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Scleroderma
- Sjogren’s Syndrome
- Tonsillitis
- Vaccines
- Viral Infections
- Adhesions
- Ankle Injuries and Disorders
- Arm Injuries and Disorders
- Back Injuries
- Brachial Plexus Injuries
- Burns
- Chest Injuries and Disorders
- Concussion
- CPR
- Dislocated Shoulder
- Dislocations
- Elbow Injuries and Disorders
- Eye Injuries
- Facial Injuries and Disorders
- Finger Injuries and Disorders
- Foot Injuries and Disorders
- Fractures
- Hand Injuries and Disorders
- Heel Injuries and Disorders
- Hip Injuries and Disorders
- Inhalation Injuries
- Insect Bites and Stings
- Jaw Injuries and Disorders
- Knee Injuries and Disorders
- Leg Injuries and Disorders
- Mosquito Bites
- Neck Injuries and Disorders
- Rotator Cuff Injuries
- Shoulder Injuries and Disorders
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Sprains and Strains
- Tick Bites
- Toe Injuries and Disorders
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Wrist Injuries and Disorders
- Acute Bronchitis
- Bird Flu
- Chronic Bronchitis
- COPD
- COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019)
- Croup
- E-Cigarettes
- Fistulas
- Flu
- Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis
- H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)
- Legionnaires’ Disease
- Lung Cancer
- Mesothelioma
- Pneumonia
- Pulmonary Hypertension
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections
- Sleep Apnea
- Smoking
- Tuberculosis
- Whooping Cough
- Anatomy
- Assisted Reproductive Technology
- Birth Control
- Chlamydia Infections
- Circumcision
- Erectile Dysfunction
- Genital Herpes
- Genital Warts
- Gonorrhea
- Herpes Simplex
- Infertility
- Male Infertility
- Penis Disorders
- Prostate Cancer
- Prostate Cancer Screening
- Prostate Diseases
- Reproductive Hazards
- Sexual Health
- Sexual Problems in Men
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- Syphilis
- Testicular Cancer
- Testicular Disorders
- Vasectomy
- Abdominal Pain
- Bad Breath
- Bleeding
- Breathing Problems
- Bruises
- Chest Pain
- Choking
- Chronic Pain
- Constipation
- Cough
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness and Vertigo
- Edema
- Fainting
- Fever
- Frostbite
- Gas
- Gastrointestinal Bleeding
- Headache
- Heartburn
- Heat Illness
- Hives
- Hypothermia
- Indigestion
- Itching
- Jaundice
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Pain
- Rare Diseases
- Raynaud’s Disease
- Sciatica
- Speech and Communication Disorders
- Stuttering
Liver Diseases
Summary
Your liver is the largest organ inside your body. It helps your body digest food, store energy, and remove poisons.
There are many kinds of liver diseases:
- Diseases caused by viruses, such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C
- Diseases caused by drugs, poisons, or too much alcohol. Examples include fatty liver disease and cirrhosis.
- Liver cancer
- Inherited diseases, such as hemochromatosis and Wilson disease
Symptoms of liver disease can vary, but they often include swelling of the abdomen and legs, bruising easily, changes in the color of your stool and urine, and jaundice, or yellowing of the skin and eyes. Sometimes there are no symptoms. Tests such as imaging tests and liver function tests can check for liver damage and help to diagnose liver diseases.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Prevention and Risk Factors
- 25 Ways to Love Your Liver Health American Liver Foundation
- Fighting Fatty Liver: Steps Against a Silent Disease National Institutes of Health
Encyclopedia
- 5′-nucleotidase Medical Encyclopedia
- Abdominal CT scan Medical Encyclopedia
- Abdominal MRI scan Medical Encyclopedia
- Abdominal tap Medical Encyclopedia
- Abdominal ultrasound Medical Encyclopedia
- Aldolase blood test Medical Encyclopedia
- Amebic liver abscess Medical Encyclopedia
- Ammonia blood test Medical Encyclopedia
- Antimitochondrial antibody Medical Encyclopedia
- Autoimmune liver disease panel Medical Encyclopedia
- Bleeding esophageal varices Medical Encyclopedia
- Ferritin blood test Medical Encyclopedia
- Hepatic hemangioma Medical Encyclopedia
- Hepatic ischemia Medical Encyclopedia
- Hepatic vein obstruction (Budd-Chiari) Medical Encyclopedia
- Hepatocerebral degeneration Medical Encyclopedia
- Lactate dehydrogenase test Medical Encyclopedia
- LDH isoenzyme blood test Medical Encyclopedia
- Leucine aminopeptidase – urine Medical Encyclopedia
- Leucine aminopeptidase blood test Medical Encyclopedia
- Liver biopsy Medical Encyclopedia
- Peritonitis – secondary Medical Encyclopedia
- Peritonitis – spontaneous bacterial Medical Encyclopedia
- Phosphorus blood test Medical Encyclopedia
- Portacaval shunting Medical Encyclopedia
- Protein electrophoresis – serum Medical Encyclopedia
- Pyogenic liver abscess Medical Encyclopedia
- Quantitative nephelometry test Medical Encyclopedia
- TBG blood test Medical Encyclopedia
- Total iron binding capacity Medical Encyclopedia
- Total protein Medical Encyclopedia
- Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) Medical Encyclopedia
Diagnosis and Tests
- Abdominal and Pelvic CT (Computed Tomography) Radiological Society of North America
- Abdominal Ultrasound Radiological Society of North America
- Body MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Radiological Society of North America
- Chloride Blood Test National Library of Medicine
- Elastography National Library of Medicine
- ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Gamma-glutamyl Transferase (GGT) Test National Library of Medicine
- Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) Isoenzymes Test National Library of Medicine
- Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) Test National Library of Medicine
- Liver Biopsy National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Liver Function Tests National Library of Medicine
- Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) Radiological Society of North America
- Needle Biopsy Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Total Protein and Albumin/Globulin (A/G) Ratio National Library of Medicine
Specifics
- Acute Liver Failure Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Alagille Syndrome National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Benign Liver Tumors American Liver Foundation
- Enlarged Liver Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Gilbert Syndrome Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Liver Cysts: A Cause of Abdominal Pain? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Liver Hemangioma Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Portal Hypertension Merck & Co., Inc.
- Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) American Liver Foundation
- Recognizing Jaundice: Signs That Your Liver Isn’t Delivering National Institutes of Health
Children
- Alagille Syndrome American Liver Foundation
- Biliary Atresia National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Biliary Atresia Nemours Foundation
- Galactosemia American Liver Foundation
- Glycogen Storage Disease Type 1 (von Gierke) American Liver Foundation
Genetics
- Alagille syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Alpers-Huttenlocher syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Childhood myocerebrohepatopathy spectrum: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Congenital bile acid synthesis defect type 2: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Congenital generalized lipodystrophy: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Congenital hepatic fibrosis: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Crigler-Najjar syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Gilbert syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Glycogen storage disease type III: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Glycogen storage disease type VI: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Hepatic veno-occlusive disease with immunodeficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- MPV17-related hepatocerebral mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Rotor syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Tyrosinemia: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
Patient Handouts
- ALP isoenzyme test Medical Encyclopedia
- Ascites Medical Encyclopedia
- Diet – liver disease Medical Encyclopedia
- Hepatic encephalopathy Medical Encyclopedia
- Hepatomegaly Medical Encyclopedia
- Liver disease Medical Encyclopedia
- Liver scan Medical Encyclopedia
Find an Expert
- American Liver Foundation American Liver Foundation
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Related Issues
- Careful: Acetaminophen in Pain Relief Medicines Can Cause Liver Damage Food and Drug Administration
- Cirrhosis and Portal Hypertension American Academy of Family Physicians
- Hepatic Encephalopathy American Liver Foundation
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Alagille Syndrome National Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Liver Diseases National Institutes of Health
Treatments and Therapies
- Dandelion National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- Liver Transplantation: MedlinePlus Health Topic National Library of Medicine
- Milk Thistle National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS) Radiological Society of North America
Statistics and Research
- FastStats: Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis National Center for Health Statistics
- LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury National Library of Medicine
Start Here
- Liver Disease Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Progression of Liver Disease to Liver Cancer American Liver Foundation