Symptoms and diagnosis
of Budd-Chiari syndrome
The information on this page is for:
- Adults with Budd-Chiari syndome or suspected Budd-Chiari syndrome
- Family, friends, carers, and healthcare professionals.
On this page:
What are the symptoms of Budd-Chiari syndrome?
Budd-Chiari is usually a long-lasting (chronic) condition. Symptoms are caused by swelling of the liver and by complications.
Symptoms can include:
- Tummy pain in the upper right side of your abdomen (known as ‘right upper quadrant pain’ by doctors).
- a swollen tummy caused by a build-up of fluid (ascites)
- an enlarged liver caused by a build-up of blood (hepatomegaly)
- swelling of the legs and ankles (oedema)
- cramp in the legs and feet
- itching
Many people will not have all of these symptoms.
Budd-Chiari can some on slowly over several months. Usually with slowly increasing swelling of the tummy.
Sometimes it develops very quickly over just a few weeks. This is called acute Budd-Chiari syndrome.
In rare cases, this can lead to ‘fulminant’ Budd-Chiari syndrome. This is where the condition is sudden and severe. It can lead to very serious liver damage. And damage to other parts of the body, such as the kidneys.
How is Budd-Chiari syndrome diagnosed?
Like many liver diseases, the symptoms of Budd-Chiari syndrome are non-specific. This means that they could be caused by many different conditions.
The first tests for many types of liver conditions are a liver blood test and imaging tests.
Liver blood tests
This is sometimes called a liver function test or LFT. It is a very common test that looks at lots of things in your blood to see how your liver is doing. It cannot diagnose Budd-Chiari syndrome on its own. But it can help doctors to narrow down what the problem might be.
Ultrasound scans
An ultrasound scan is usually quick and shouldn’t hurt. If your tummy is very sore, it may be uncomfortable. The scan uses a probe placed on your tummy. This sends sound waves into your body. The ultrasound machine uses the sound waves to build up a picture of your liver.
Other tests
An ultrasound may be enough to diagnose Budd-Chiari syndrome. But you may be asked to have more tests. For example, if the image isn’t clear enough and the doctor is not sure about the diagnosis.
Other tests could include a CT scan to get more pictures. Or a liver biopsy to take a sample from the liver.
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This content was last reviewed: March 2026
Our expert reviewers:
We would like to thank everyone who helped with creating and reviewing this page. Including Prof. John F Dillon, Professor of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Dundee. And all our patient reviewers.
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Everyone’s experience of liver disease will be different. Always talk to your specialist medical team for personal advice.
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