Liver disease doesn’t always cause noticeable signs and symptoms. If signs and symptoms of liver disease do occur, they may include:

• Skin and eyes that appear yellowish (jaundice)
• Abdominal pain and swelling
• Swelling in the legs and ankles
• Itchy skin
• Dark urine colour
• Pale stool colour
• Chronic fatigue
• Nausea or vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• A tendency to bruise easily

Liver ultrasounds are a reliable, safe and painless procedure to identify certain types of liver issues such as:

• Hepatomegaly: Enlargement of the liver, which can be due to heart failure, infection or cancer
• Hepatic steatosis: Fat infiltration of the liver, this can be due to alcohol, obesity and diabetes
• Tumours: This can be from the liver itself such as hepatocellular carcinoma or secondary to other cancers such as colorectal, breast or lung cancers
• Cirrhosis: Chronic liver disease causes liver fibrosis and nodule formation as the liver tries to repair itself. This is most commonly caused by hepatitis
• Infections and alcohol consumption.
• Hepatic cysts
• Liver abscesses: A collection of pus in the liver, usually as a result of infection
• Hemangioma: Benign vascular lesions made up of multiple small blood vessels, often an incidental finding and commonly seen in females

Typically, the gallbladder doesn’t cause too many problems or much concern, but if foods that may aggravate gallbladder disease, slow or block the flow of bile from the gallbladder.

include:

• foods high in trans fats and other unhealthy fats
• processed foods
• refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and sugar

Try to build your diet around:

• fibre-rich fruits and vegetables
• calcium-rich foods, such as low-fat dairy and dark leafy greens
• foods containing vitamin C, such as berries
• plant-based protein, such as tofu, beans and lentils
• healthy fats, such as nuts and fish
• coffee, which reduces your risk of gallstones and other gallbladder diseases

When something goes wrong with your gallbladder or the bile ducts, the upper right side of your belly may hurt. You may also feel:

• Pain in your back or chest, especially when you take deep breaths
• Feverish
• Like throwing up
• Bloated
• Itchy
• Tired

Other common symptoms include yellow skin and eyes (known as jaundice), weight loss, and colour changes in your pee or poop.

Ultrasound can be used to identify:

• Location and size of gallstones,
• Infection,
• Blockage,
• Tumours,
• Biliary ducts within the liver that exit into the gallbladder.

Make an appointment with your doctor if you have any persistent signs or symptoms that we have mentioned on this page or really worry you.

Seek immediate medical attention if you have abdominal pain that is so severe that you can’t stay still.

Symptoms of a gallbladder problem may come and go. However, you’re more likely to develop a gallbladder problem if you’ve had one before.

While gallbladder problems are rarely deadly, they should still be treated. You can prevent gallbladder problems from worsening if you take action and see a doctor.

Symptoms that should prompt you to seek immediate medical attention include:

• abdominal pain that lasts at least 5 hours
• jaundice
• pale stools
• sweating, low-grade fever, or chills, if they’re accompanied by the above symptoms

In order to make sure we are able to image the gallbladder effectively.

You will be asked to maintain a fat-free diet on the day of the examination and avoid eating for at least 4-6 hours.

The examination will take 10-15 minutes and you may be asked to alter position to further assess any gallstones.