Symptoms and prevention of Ascites

Ascites is a collection of fluid in the abdominal cavity.


CAUSE
Ascites tends to occur in chronic disease (chronic). Most often occurs in cirrhosis, especially those diisebabkan by alcoholism. Ascites can also occur in non-liver disease, such as cancer, heart failure, kidney failure and tuberculosis.

In patients with liver disease, fluid seeping from the surface of the liver and intestine. This is influenced by factors as follows: - portal hypertension
- Decreased ability of blood vessels to retain fluid
- Fluid retention by the kidneys
- Changes in various hormones and chemicals that regulate bodily fluids.

The cause of ascites:

Abnormalities in liver
- Cirrhosis, mainly caused by alcoholism
- Alcoholic hepatitis without cirrhosis
- Chronic hepatitis
- Blockage of the hepatic vein
Abnormalities outside the liver
- Heart failure
- Kidney failure, especially nephrotic syndrome
- Constrictive pericarditis
- Carcinomatosis, where the cancer spreads to the abdominal cavity
- Reduced activity of the thyroid
- Inflammation of the pancreas.


SYMPTOMS
If the amount of fluid collected is not too much, usually have no symptoms. The amount of fluid that very much can cause abdominal swelling and discomfort, and shortness of breath. The amount of fluid that very much, causing tense abdomen and the navel becomes flat, and even pushed out. In some patients, also swollen ankles (edema).


Diagnosis
On examination the abdomen percussion, sound will be dull (muffled). Ultrasound is used to determine the presence of ascites and find the cause. Parasintesis diagnostics performed to obtain fluid samples will then be examined in the laboratory.


TREATMENT
Basic treatment of ascites is bed rest and a diet low in salt, which is usually combined with diuretics to fluids is excreted through the kidneys more numerous. If there is shortness of breath or difficulty eating, do parasintesis therapeutic, where the needle is inserted to drain fluids that accumulate. But the fluid tends to be collected again, if not given diuretics.

A large number of albumin often go wasted into the stomach fluid, so it may take delivery of albumin intravenously (through veins). Sometimes an infection in ascites fluid, particularly in alcoholic cirrhosis. This infection is called spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, were treated with antibiotics.