Introduction

Liver disease can manifest itself in many different ways. Manifestations of liver disease that are particularly important include jaundice (a yellowish discoloration of the skin and the whites of the eyes), cholestasis (reduction or stoppage of bile flow), liver enlargement, portal hypertension (abnormally high blood pressure in the veins that bring blood from the intestines to the liver), ascites (accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity), liver (hepatic) encephalopathy (a liver disorder in which toxins build up in the blood, leading to brain dysfunction), and liver failure.

Sometimes the manifestations of liver disease are not obvious. For example, symptoms may include fatigue, a feeling of unwellness, loss of appetite, and mild weight loss, yet these symptoms are also typical of many other diseases. Thus, liver disease can easily be overlooked, particularly in its early stages.

See the sidebar Major Clinical Features of Liver Disease.