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How do doctors diagnose chronic liver failure?
The diagnosis of chronic liver failure depends upon the cause and the complications of the disease. Your healthcare provider will ask you about your past medical history. The doctor will suspect you have chronic liver failure if you are an alcohol abuser, injectable drug abuser, or have these symptoms:
- Weakness and fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Weight and muscle loss
- Nausea and vomiting
- Itching
- Spiderlike veins in the skin
- Abdominal pain
- Jaundice: yellowish discoloration of skin and eyes
- Ascites
- Oesophageal varices
- Brain disturbances (Hepatic encephalopathy)
Your doctor will do a physical examination to observe clinical signs of the disease and order blood tests to evaluate the liver. The endoscope helps your doctor to look for bleeding from varices. To view the liver for signs of enlargement and decreased blood flow, the doctor orders a CT scan, ultrasound, and MRI. A liver biopsy can confirm the diagnosis if needed.
