Asymptomatic

In medicine, a disease is considered asymptomatic if a patient is a carrier for a disease or infection but experiences no symptoms. A condition might be asymptomatic if it fails to show the noticeable symptoms with which it is usually associated. Asymptomatic infections are also called subclinical infections. The term clinically silent is also used.

Knowing that a condition is asymptomatic is important because:

• It may develop symptoms later and so require watch and wait or early treatment.
• It may resolve itself or become benign.
• It is required that a person undergoes treatment so it does not cause later medical problems such as high blood pressure and hyperlipidaemia.
• Be alert to possible problems: asymptomatic hypothyroidism makes a person vulnerable to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome or beri-beri following intravenous glucose.
• The affected person may be infectious and unknowingly spread the infection to others.