Enlarged Liver (Hepatomegaly) in Children

Liver enlargement, also known as enlarged liver, or hepatomegaly, is a larger than normal swelling of the liver. It can be caused by many things, such as alcohol use, cancer metastases, congestive heart failure, glycogen storage disease, hepatitis A, B, or C, hepatocellular carcinoma, hereditary fructose intolerance, infectious mononucleosis, leukemia, Niemann-Pick disease, primary biliary cirrhosis, Reye syndrome, sarcoidosis, sclerosing cholangitis, or steatosis (fat in the liver from metabolic problems such as diabetes, obesity, and high triglycerides, also called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH).

Symptoms include abdominal pain or a mass, easy bruising, fatigue, increasing abdominal size, itching, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), muscle aches, nausea, poor appetite, swelling of the feet and legs, vomiting, and weight loss. Seek medical advice immediately.