Hepatomegaly is when the liver becomes enlarged due to various causes such as alcohol abuse, hepatitis, and cancers. Treatment involves identifying and treating the underlying cause, and radiological and blood tests can help diagnose the condition. Hepatosplenomegaly, the simultaneous enlargement of the liver and spleen, is often related to malnutrition and tumor growth.
Hepatomegaly occurs when the liver begins to expand to an unmanageable size in the body, creating symptoms ranging from mild abdominal pain and jaundiced skin to vomiting and a visible lump in the intestines. This is a condition that could arise for a variety of reasons such as alcohol abuse, hepatitis A, B or C, and some cancers. Other lesser known causes of hepatomegaly include several infectious diseases such as Kala Azar, HIV/AIDS or schistosomiasis as well as many other hereditary diseases and conditions such as congestive heart failure, Wilson’s disease or Hurler’s syndrome.
Because so many conditions could be causes of hepatomegaly, treatment is largely concerned with identifying and combating that underlying cause. Doctors will begin evaluating a patient by analyzing the patient’s symptoms. If tests reveal an enlarged liver without jaundiced or yellowed skin, for example, doctors are more likely to suspect some form of metabolic disease or a malignancy. With jaundice, the same doctor might begin to narrow down an infection such as hepatitis or mononucleosis, alcohol abuse leading to cirrhosis, accidental ingestion of a toxic agent, congestive heart failure, or even ‘anemia.
A handful of cancers are causes of hepatomegaly such as liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, lymphoma and leukemia. Cancer could also start forming in an organ and eventually make its way to the liver, causing it to swell. Common first aid situations are also possible, from heart failure to pericarditis, which causes the tissue around the heart and the liver itself to swell. Other conditions known to cause liver swelling include benign cysts that could be obstructing organ function, either within the liver or potentially elsewhere.
Radiological tests can often quickly identify any abnormal growths that could be the cause of the hepatomegaly. Blood tests can target many of the human diseases that could develop into hepatomegaly. Some of the most common of these are Gaucher and Wilson’s diseases, as well as fatty liver disease which has two variants: one caused by alcohol poisoning and another that can develop even without alcohol abuse. Alcoholic fatty liver disease is, of course, more likely to develop in a person’s later years, while the non-alcoholic version can affect all ages.
A condition closely related to hepatomegaly is called hepatosplenomegaly. This results in the simultaneous enlargement of the liver and spleen, conditions known as hepatomegaly and splenomegaly, respectively. What causes hepatosplenomegaly is not as difficult to diagnose as weeding through the many causes of hepatomegaly. This more specific condition is most often related to malnutrition and tumor growth.
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