liver disease

Liver failure is a condition that occurs when large parts of the liver become damaged beyond repair and the liver is no longer able to function.

Liver failure is a life-threatening condition that demands urgent medical care. Most often liver failure occurs gradually and over many years.

Acute Liver Failure

Acute liver failure is a rare condition. Acute liver failure occurs rapidly (in as little as 48 hours) and can be difficult to detect initially.

The most common causes of liver failure are:

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis C

Long term, excessive alcohol consumption

Cirrhosis

Hemochromatosis

Malnutrition

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) overdose

Reaction to a prescribed medication

Ingestion of poisonous wild mushrooms

Symptoms of Liver Failure

The early symptoms of liver failure are similar to symptoms of many other conditions. Because of this, liver failure may initially difficult to diagnose. Some of the most common initial symptoms of liver failure are:

Nausea

Loss of appetite

Fatigue

Diarrhea

liver-enlargement

liver-cirrhosis

primary-liver-cancer