The Top 5 Causes of Enlarged Liver

An enlarged liver is an important symptom of some underlying health issue and so it is important for all of us to educate ourselves about the causes of enlarged liver. Typically an adult human liver is said to be size of football – it is the second largest human organ after the skin. The liver is 21 to 22.5 cm wide, 15 to17.5 cm high and 10 to12.5 cm long. There are occasions when this organ gets enlarged and that means that it becomes bigger. Another term for describing this condition is hepatomegaly.

If a patient feels tenderness, abdominal pain and notices a yellowing of skin, it is best to talk to a doctor to have a proper assessment of the situation. The doctor will then base the treatment for the problem based on which of the causes of enlarged liver has triggered it.

Alcohol abuse is most often associated with an enlarged liver. Men are found to be more prone to alcoholism than women and family history is known to play a role is an individual’s susceptibility to alcohol abuse. Anxiety and depression are known to be a factor in alcoholism. If there is reason to believe that the patient fits the profile for alcohol abuse, this one is probably the first of the causes of enlarged liver to consider.

There is also the possibility that a nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is causing the enlargement of the liver. Obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes are known to increase the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. This disease describes a variety of conditions including accumulation of fat in the liver, inflammation of the liver and fibrous tissue formation in the liver. This can happen to people who are moderate drinkers or even teetotalers and because of the strong link between alcohol abuse and liver enlargement this cause sometimes does not get identified as quickly. There symptoms are read as relating to something other than an enlarged liver.

Among the other well-established causes enlarged liver is Hepatitis. Hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C are viral infections that impact the liver. All of these are contagious diseases. Those who travel in regions where there are high numbers of hepatitis A cases are at risk of this disease. Sexually active bisexual and gay men, those who have hemophilia and receive the clotting-factor for other medical conditions, those who abuse illicit drugs or work in a research lab where there is possibility of exposure to the virus are all at risk of being infected by hepatitis A and in turn this increases the possibility of their getting an enlarged liver. Shared needles and indiscriminate sexual behavior are considered to increase the chance of contracting hepatitis B. Other than these risk factors, those who had an organ transplant prior to 1992 and those who have been receiving the clotting factor from before 1987 are also at risk of getting hepatitis C. So, if you visit the doctor with signs of an enlarged liver, you will be asked questions about your general behavior and medical history to isolate the possibility of one of these infections which can be a cause.

Heart failure is one of the causes of enlarged liver. When a patient has congestive heart failure the heart is no longer able to pump enough blood to the rest of the body and this affects the functioning of other organs.

One of the other top 5 causes of enlarged liver is liver cancer. This is usually a metastatic cancer that spreads to the liver after having attacked some other body part. Those who have had chronic problems with hepatitis are found to be particularly vulnerable to liver cancer.

These are some of the most likely causes for enlarged liver and only a medical professional can arrive at the correct diagnosis following the appropriate tests.