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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffMany conditions may cause an enlarged liver, including:
- Alcohol abuse. Abusing alcohol may cause an enlarged liver.
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. This includes a range of conditions — such as fat accumulation in the liver followed by inflammation of the liver and the formation of fibrous tissue in the liver — which can affect people who drink little or no alcohol.
- Hepatitis. Hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C are all contagious viral infections that affect your liver.
- Heart failure. Also called congestive heart failure, this condition means your heart can't pump enough blood to meet your body's needs.
- Liver cancer. Cancer of the liver is often metastatic cancer, which occurs when tumors from other parts of the body spread (metastasize) to the liver.
- Infections such as mononucleosis. Mononucleosis (mono) is an infection with the Epstein-Barr virus.
- Excessive iron in the body (hemochromatosis). This condition causes your body to absorb too much iron from the food you eat. The excess is stored in your organs, especially your liver, heart and pancreas. Sometimes the stored iron damages these organs, leading to life-threatening conditions such as cancer, heart problems and liver disease.
- Blood disorders such as leukemia. Leukemia is cancer of the white blood cells.
