Liver Diseases
Educational information. Individual clinical review of this presentation by Dr. Ehsan is not yet documented. It does not replace personal medical evaluation.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Read the original source
MedlinePlus data edition September 26, 2026. Imported September 27, 2026. These dates do not indicate a new clinical review of the article.
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 steatotic 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.
Symptoms, tests and care options
Further reading selected by MedlinePlus. Links open the original organizations’ websites.
- Abdominal and Pelvic CT · Radiological Society of North America
- Abdominal Ultrasound · Radiological Society of North America
- Body MRI · Radiological Society of North America
- 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
Questions for your care team
General prompts to help prepare for your appointment.
- How does this information apply to my situation?
- Which symptoms or results need evaluation?
- Which tests are useful, and what can they tell us?
- What care options, benefits, and risks should we discuss?
- When should I seek urgent help, and whom should I call?
- When is follow-up, and how will we know whether the plan is working?
For a life-threatening emergency, call 911 in the U.S. or your local emergency number.
Browse all patient guides