Things to ask your medical team
Where can I get treatment?
If you have just been diagnosed with cirrhosis you should have an appointment with a specialist. Ideally this will be in a hospital that has a specialist liver department. This could also be called a hepatology department.
Find out more about deciding where you are treated here.
You should have a named consultant in charge of your care. You will probably see other doctors and nurses for most of your appointments. But you should be referred back to the consultant if your condition changes.
In many hospitals you will also be assigned a clinical nurse specialist. They will be in charge of your care. You may have most of your appointments with your specialist nurse. They are often easier to contact than your consultant and can help if you have questions in between appointments.
Questions to ask
Finding out more about your condition can help you to talk to your medical team and make decisions together. It can also help you to be prepared for any problems that could happen in the future.
It can be hard for anyone to take in information if they are unwell. Or in shock about a diagnosis. So it is fine to ask your medical team to explain or repeat things.
It might help to take someone along with you to your appointments. Or write down your questions before you go. You could ask if you can record the conversation on your phone so that you can play it back later. We have some suggested questions on this page. You can also download a copy to print out and take with you to your appointment.
Questions to ask your medical team
We have advice on managing the stress of medical appointments here.
Ask your medical team
What is causing my cirrhosis?
It is helpful to understand what has caused your cirrhosis. This is one of the things that will help your medical team to work out the best treatment options for you.
How is the disease affecting my health now and what will happen in the future?
How will it affect my ability to do the things that are important to me. For example family life, work, hobbies?
What emergency or red flag symptoms should I look out for?
You can find a list of red flag or emergency symptoms here. But ask if there are specific things that you should look out for. And what you should do if they happen.
What happens next?
Find out how often you should have an appointment and when the next one will be.
What are my treatment options?
Ask the doctor or nurse to explain what treatments might help you and the risks and benefits of each of them for you.
Who else will be involved in my care and how can I contact them?
Ask who you should contact if you think of another question or if you have a problem before your next appointment. Find out the best way to contact them and make a note of it where you can easily find it.
Should I have regular scans to check for liver cancer?
If you have been diagnosed with cirrhosis you should have regular scans for liver cancer. These are called surveillance scans. Ask your medical team about this if they do not offer it.
Should I have testing for varices?
Depending on where you are being treated you might be offered a test to look for a complication called varices. Some hospitals offer this test to everyone with cirrhosis. Others only offer it to people based on the results of other tests.
Talk to your medical team about the risks and benefits of the test for you.
Should I have a test for bone density?
Cirrhosis can increase your risk of osteoporosis. This is a condition where your bones can break (fracture) more easily. Ask your doctor or nurse if you may be at higher risk or will need a test on your bone density.
Am I at risk of malnutrition?
About 1 in 5 people with cirrhosis are not able to get enough energy and nutrients from their food. This is called malnutrition, and it can be very serious. But complications of cirrhosis can mean that it is not always obvious.
Your medical team should check if you are at risk of malnutrition. If you are, ask to be referred to a specialist dietitian.
Is there anything I can do myself to stop my condition getting worse?
Ask your medical team if there are changes in your everyday life that could help.
This could include changes to what you eat or drink or asking about the types of exercise that might help you.
You can also ask if there are support services available to help you with these changes. For example, could you be referred to a dietitian?
Do I need any extra vaccinations?
Cirrhosis can affect your immune system. This means you could be more at risk from common infectious diseases like flu or covid.
The best way to protect yourself is to be vaccinated. But you might not be able to have some vaccines called live vaccines.
Ask your medical team which vaccines you should have and how and when to get them.
We have more information about vaccines for people with a liver condition here.
Cirrhosis when you have other conditions
Lots of us live with more than one medical condition. If you have cirrhosis it is important that doctors treating you for other conditions know about it.
If you are seeing a medical team about a different condition they might not know that you have cirrhosis. Make sure you tell them about your condition and any treatment or medicines you are having.
Cirrhosis and medicines
Cirrhosis can affect how some medicines work and how long they stay in your body. If you are prescribed any new medicines, ask the doctor to check with your liver team or a specialist pharmacist before you start taking it.
You might need to start by taking a low dose of the medicine then slowly increase the dose.
Cirrhosis and diabetes
A lot of people live with both cirrhosis and type 2 diabetes. If you have one of these conditions, it is important that you have checks for the other one.
You can find out more about fatty liver disease and diabetes here.
Surgery for other conditions
If you need an operation for a different condition, it is very important to tell your doctor about your cirrhosis.
Cirrhosis can increase the risks of some operations. Your surgery team should talk to your liver team about the best options for you.
Find out more about surgery for other conditions when you have cirrhosis
Thinking about the future
Some people are already very unwell when their cirrhosis is diagnosed. But many people live full lives with cirrhosis for a long time. If it is found early enough it might be possible to stop any further damage before you become unwell. Some conditions can be improved with treatments or changes in your everyday life.
Exactly what will come next for you will depend on a lot of different things. And everyone’s experience will be different.
Prognosis – will I die from cirrhosis?
People often want to know if they will die from cirrhosis. Or when this might happen.
The first thing to know is that many people can live long and full lives after being told they have cirrhosis.
Cirrhosis is a complicated condition. It has many causes and many possible outcomes. Other things in your life will also affect your cirrhosis. So we cannot say exactly what will happen to you in this information.
The best thing to do is talk to your medical team. It can be impossible to know exactly what the future holds. So ask them to talk to you about the different possibilities.
If you are told that cirrhosis will limit or shorten your life, ask if anything could change this. Even if you are very unwell, changes to your life and treatments can make a difference.
We have more information about supportive or palliative care here. Palliative care is not only for the end of life. It can help you to improve your quality of life and manage symptoms.
We have more information online about Thinking ahead.
You can also download our detailed booklet here.
If your loved one has been told they are nearing the end of life you can find more information in our family, friends and carers section here.
Being diagnosed with NAFLD is a huge responsibility and it’s in your hands to sort it. That’s an awful lot to deal with
More information from The British Liver Trust
Most people have a lot of questions when they are first told that they have cirrhosis. Getting good information can help you to understand what is going on and what your options might be. It can also help you to have two-way conversations with your health care team about what the best choices are for you.
Information about your condition
These pages give information about liver cirrhosis. But cirrhosis is a stage in many different types of liver disease.
- You can find out more about your condition on our conditions A to Z page
- You can also download our What is cirrhosis? factsheet.
You can download more information about cirrhosis here.
Living with a liver condition
Having a liver condition can affect every part of your life. The Living with a liver condition section of this website has lots of information. Including things like diet, money, everyday life, and your medical care.
Finding health information online
Most of us look for information online. But with so much available it can be hard to know where to look and what to trust.
- We have some simple tips to help with this on our finding health information online page.
Getting support
Support from The British Liver Trust
Talking to other people who understand what you are going through can be a huge help.
The British Liver Trust offers a range of support services. Including support groups and an online forum. You can find out more here.
You can also call our nurse helpline on 0800 652 7330.
The helpline is run by specialist liver nurses. They cannot give you a prognosis. But they can help you to understand your condition, talk through your options, or offer support.
Mental health support
If you or a loved one have a serious medical problem, it can affect your mental health as well. We have some suggestions of things that may help. And links to organisations that offer further support.
Support for family, friends, and carers
Having a loved one with liver cirrhosis can change your life as well. Our section for family, friends and carers has information for every stage of that journey. Including support for you.
Special thanks
We would like to thank all of the medical specialists, and people with personal experience of cirrhosis who helped us to plan, develop, and review this information.
Including, Jennifer Voller, Liz, Michael Kennedy, members of our patient advisory group, Dr Vishal Patel, Consultant Hepatologist, Kings College hospital, Dr Victoria Kronsten, Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Hepatology, King’s College Hospital, Katharine Caddick, Consultant Nurse, North Bristol Trust, Maria-Emanuela Maxan, Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Hepatology, King’s College Hospital and Claire Smith, Hepatology Clinical Nurse Specialist.
Published: February 2025
Support for you
Find out more
Living with a liver condition
Find out more
Information for families and carers
Find out more