When you first see the doctor, he or she will want to talk about yours and your family’s complete medical history. It's important to be forthright and honest here, as your doctor can't help you if you don’t give him accurate information. Your doctor will be looking for genetic conditions as well as behavior that may increase the risk of liver disease such as drug or alcohol use, multiple or same sex partners.
G's Mom had Alpha 1 Antitrypsin deficiency, G does not but because of a family history of liver problems she is slightly more likely to have liver problems.
He will examine you from signs of liver disease, such as (red palms, spider nevi, edema, enlarged liver and spleen, jaundice (yellow tinted skin or eyes), enlarged breasts in men or fluid in your abdomen, called ascites.
During her exam she was told that the red blotchy areas on her upper arm and chest were spider nevi, her palms were very red and blotchy and both her liver and spleen were enlarged.