What is hepatomegaly?
An enlarged liver is one that's bigger than normal. The medical term is hepatomegaly.
Rather than a disease, an enlarged liver is a sign of an underlying problem, such as liver disease, congestive heart failure or cancer. Treatment involves identifying and controlling the cause of the condition.
Symptoms
An enlarged liver might not cause symptoms.
When enlarged liver results from liver disease, it might be accompanied by:
- Abdominal pain
- Fatigue
- Nausea and vomiting
- Yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes (jaundice)
Causes
Many conditions can cause it to enlarge, including:
- Cirrhosis
- Hepatitis caused by a virus
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
- Alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Amyloidosis
- Wilson's disease
- Hemachromatosis
- Liver cysts
- Hemangioma and adenoma
- Obstruction of the gallbladder
- Toxic hepatitis
- Leukemia
- Liver cancer
- Lymphoma
- Budd-Chiari syndrome
- Heart failure
- Pericarditis
Risk factors
You're more likely to develop an enlarged liver if you have a liver disease.
Factors that can increase your risk of liver problems include:
- Excessive alcohol use.
- Large doses of medicines, vitamins or supplements.
- Infectious diseases, viral, bacterial or parasitic.
- Hepatitis A, B and C can cause liver damage.
- Poor eating habits.
- Excessive weight
Source:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/enlarged-liver/symptoms-causes/syc-20372167
