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Itchy Skin and Liver Disease: Symptoms and Treatments

itchy skin liver diseaseIf your skin itches all the time, your body could be trying to tell you that you have liver disease. Find out the symptoms and treatment of liver problems.

Do you have constantly itchy skin? Skin that makes you feel like scratching day and night? Did you know that chronic itchy skin can sometimes be a sign of something more serious?

I’m the bestselling author of a longevity book called, Life is Long, and passionate about helping people to live their healthiest lives.

In this article we will explore – liver disease – and how itching and liver problems often go hand in hand. If you’re presently wondering if itchy skin is an important health issue  – and what can you do about it…read on! Note: Always check with your doctor to be 100% certain about your particular health situation!

Itchy Skin And Chronic Liver Disease

One of the many symptoms of chronic liver disease is persistently itchy skin. Not everyone with liver disease will experience itchy skin, and itchy skin isn’t always indicative of the disease, but it’s something to be aware of.

With liver disease, you might notice a localized itch, like on your elbow or ankle, or you might experience itchiness all over your body. Regardless, the constant itch can be quite distracting and make it frequent scratching hard to resist.

The occasional itch isn’t a big deal, but constant, unrelenting itching can become quite a nuisance and even a serious health concern.

What Causes the Itch? How Liver Disease and Itching Go Hand in Hand

You’ll rarely notice itching in any alcohol-related liver disease or fatty liver diseases. Instead, it’s associated with primary sclerosing cholangitis, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, or primary biliary cirrhosis.

There have been many medical studies conducted to determine the cause of itching as it results to liver disease. There are a couple of factors that come into play:

Female Sex Hormones

Itching can become worse during pregnancy if hormone replacement therapy is involved.

Histamine

Some liver disease patients also have high histamine levels which can lead to excessive itching.

Serotonin

Serotonin levels can affect itch perception. Patients with liver disease that begin taking an SSRI often notice a reduction in itchiness.

Again, these are just possibilities and the research concerning the similarities over liver disease and itching is ongoing.

How to Treat the Endless Itching

In most cases, the itching associated with liver disease won’t go away or improve without intervention. Thankfully it’s a side effect that can be treated.

Since the causes of liver disease-related itchiness aren’t completed known, there’s no way to say for sure what kind of treatment will suit each person.

Your doctor might recommend a treatment method and then follow up with you to see how it’s working. You may have to try out several treatments or a combination of many at once to find long-term relief.

You can also look into improving your gut and liver health through the help of additional bile nutrients found here: https://microbeformulas.com/blogs/microbe-formulas/tudca-benefits

Avoid Scratching Whenever Possible

As much as you’ll be tempted to scratch that itchy skin, it’s important to resist the urge. Scratching can make the itch much worse.

If you have to keep short fingernails to prevent too much damage to your skin from constant scratching, do that. If the itch is so bad that you scratch your skin a lot in your sleep, you might want to consider wearing gloves to bed at night.

How to Find Relief

There are some things you can do to relieve the itch without scratching your skin. Here are a few suggestions to ease the itch:

  • Ditch the hot shower in favor of cool or warm water temperatures.
  • Avoid the heat and the sun whenever possible.
  • Opt for fragrance-free lotions, soaps, and laundry detergents.
  • Use a cold, wet cloth on the itchy areas of the skin until the urge to scratch subsides.
  • Wear gloves whenever using harsh products such as household cleaners.
  • Use a humidifier while sleeping during the dry winter months.
  • Avoid any substances that irritate your skin and cause it to itch more than usual.

You can also apply anti-itch topicals, either over-the-counter options or prescription ointments and creams that your doctor recommends. Just make sure to heed the directions each time.

In addition to topical treatments, your doctor might recommend oral treatments as well.

Consider the Benefits of Light Therapy

Liver disease and itching associated with the disease can be relieved by topical and oral treatments, but did you know that many patients seek out light therapy as well?

Light therapy, or phototherapy, exposes the affected skin to specific types of light as a way to promote healing and relief.

Red light therapy is also very helpful. In this article I share my personal experience with red light therapy.

A Possible Liver Transplant

Sometimes treatment doesn’t work with liver disease and itching and patients’ lives are severely affected. When constant itching persists it can lead to impaired quality of life, and anxiety and depression. Even if your liver is still functioning, you might want to discuss the possibility of a future liver transplant with your doctor.

Whether or not you’re a candidate for consideration will depend on a number of things. Schedule an appointment with your doctor to discuss your options either for a liver transplant or long-term relief from your symptoms.

Itchiness is No Indication of Severity

As mentioned, liver disease is only sometimes accompanied by itching. Itching can develop early on in the disease before you’re even aware you have problems with your liver. In fact, an itch can develop at any point during the disease.

Having itchy skin says nothing about the prognosis, progression, or severity of liver disease. But if you notice persistent itching day after day, it’s worth getting yourself checked out by your doctor.

Live longer and healthier

Now that you know how liver disease and itching often go hand in hand, you can better empower yourself to improve your skin and your overall well being. Again… please check with your doctor to be 100% certain about your particular health situation!

Learn more about how to live healthier – in body, mind and spirit – via the cutting edge research in my bestselling longevity book Life is Long.

P.S. Before you wander off to whatever’s next, here are 2 things that will help you get more out of this wild ride called life:

1. Explore My Book: "Your To Die For Life: How to Maximize Joy and Minimize Regret Before Your Time Runs Out." It's just the tool you need to pry more joy, love, meaning and fulfillment out of your life. Curious? Learn more and snag a copy here.

2. Life Review Therapy - This is a coaching session where we get real about where you are, where you want to be, and why you haven’t gotten there yet. We’ll dig deep into what’s working, what’s holding you back, and how to create more joy, love and fulfillment moving forward. If you’re ready for actionable steps and real results, book a free consult call here.

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