Fatty liver disease: Are your palms this colour? The lesser-known warning sign to spot

Liver disease: NHS Doctor talks about link with alcohol

Fatty liver disease is a condition in which your liver accumulates too much fat. However, unlike most of the fat on your body, which accumulates around or outside the body, in fatty liver disease, the fat is actually stored within the liver itself as fat deposits. This leads to an enlarged liver and, in some cases, to inflammation or even to liver damage. Having red palms could indicate your risk of the disease.

Digestive Disorders Associates listed the symptoms of fatty liver disease to look out for which include:

  • Weakness
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • A yellow tinge to your skin or eyes (jaundice)
  • Enlarged blood vessels visible under the skin
  • Red palms
  • Abdominal swelling, and
  • Enlarged breasts (in men)

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Red palms caused by a build-up of fat within the liver is known medically as palmer erythema.

The reddening typically occurs on the lower part of a person’s palm however sometimes it could extend all the way up through to the fingers.

The redness on the skin may also be found on the soles of the feet.

Experts describe the redness looking similar to a rash and the skin also turning pale when pressed hard.

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Palmer erythema is commonly associated with liver disease, such as liver cirrhosis, hemochromatosis, and Wilson disease, said the Mayo Clinic.

The health site continued: “Some liver conditions are hereditary, while others may be influenced by diet and lifestyle choices, such as drinking alcohol.

“Depending on a person’s liver function, some medications may also cause palmar erythema.

“During diagnosis, a doctor will often ask about any medicines a person is taking to see if the condition is a side effect of any particular drug.”

If your liver function is impaired, palmar erythema may appear if you’re taking amiodacrone (Cordarone), cholestyramine (Questran), or gemfibrozil (Lopid).

Other environmental causes include:

  • Smoking
  • Excessive drinking
  • Mercury poisoning

Although fatty liver disease can be the result of excessive long-term alcohol consumption, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD, is far more common. 

NAFLD can be divided into two categories: simple fatty liver, which is simply excessive fat within the liver; and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, in which there is inflammation and cell damage along with the accumulated fat.

Simple fatty liver rarely progresses to more serious disease; however NASH can eventually lead to cirrhosis, or permanent scarring and hardening of the liver.

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