Symptoms of Fatty Liver Disease

Fatty liver usually causes no symptoms in its early stages. Many people learn about it from a routine ultrasound or from abnormal liver tests.

Symptoms that may occur

• Tiredness or low energy
• A dull ache or heaviness in the upper right abdomen
• Mild nausea or loss of appetite
• A slightly enlarged liver found on examination
• Darker patches of skin on the neck or armpits (acanthosis nigricans), which suggest insulin resistance

Signs of more advanced liver disease

These are not typical of simple fatty liver and suggest scarring or cirrhosis:

• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
• Swelling of the legs or abdomen
• Itching all over
• Easy bruising or bleeding
• Spider-like blood vessels on the skin
• Confusion or unusual sleepiness
• Vomiting blood or black stools

When to get checked

Ask your doctor about screening if you have diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, PCOS or a family history of liver disease, even if you feel well.

Seek urgent help (call 112 or 102) for

• Vomiting blood or passing black, tarry stools
• Sudden confusion or drowsiness
• Severe abdominal pain or a rapidly swelling belly
• Yellow eyes with fever or marked weakness

Important

Having no symptoms does not mean no damage. Tests are the only reliable way to know how much fat or scarring is present.

Symptoms in children

Children with fatty liver also usually have no symptoms. It may be found because of excess weight, darker skin patches or an abnormal test, so ask your paediatrician about screening if your child is overweight.