Yesterday, a patient came in from Zibo, Shandong, carrying a thick stack of lab reports. Upon examination, I found that his liver echo was coarse and enhanced, with a liver stiffness value of 17 and a portal vein diameter of 1.39. He was diagnosed with cirrhosis. The patient looked completely incredulous, insisting that he felt perfectly fine and couldn’t understand how he could have cirrhosis.

In fact, it is very common for patients with cirrhosis to have no symptoms. This is because the onset and progression of cirrhosis are usually slow, and individual physical conditions vary. Some patients may remain asymptomatic for years or even decades. In the early stages, patients often show no obvious symptoms. Only when the condition reaches a certain stage do noticeable symptoms begin to appear. Patients with cirrhosis often experience loss of appetite, fatigue, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, and fever. As the disease progresses, patients may develop ascites, jaundice, splenomegaly, anemia, and some may also exhibit a tendency to bleed. Additionally, patients with cirrhosis in advanced stages may experience severe complications, such as hepatorenal syndrome, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, or hepatic encephalopathy, which can potentially be life-threatening. Therefore, even if patients with cirrhosis have no symptoms, it is essential to seek timely medical evaluation, undergo relevant tests to clarify the underlying cause, and receive active treatment for the primary disease to control its progression.

If you also have cirrhosis, it is essential to undergo regular medical check-ups. The liver is a silent organ, and by the time symptoms appear in the body, it is often too late to seek medical treatment.