Everyone Healthy Library
Ascites
Also Known As: Peritoneal Effusion
Condition / disease reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
! Seek urgent medical care if warning signs appear
Some health conditions or symptoms can become urgent. Use this page for education, but seek help quickly if warning signs are present.
Get urgent medical care now if there is any severe, sudden, rapidly worsening or worrying symptom, especially:
- chest pain, pressure or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back
- trouble breathing, blue lips, severe wheeze or choking
- stroke-like symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness or speech trouble
- collapse, fainting, seizure, confusion or extreme drowsiness
- severe bleeding, black stools, vomiting blood or major injury
- severe allergic reaction, swelling of the face/throat or widespread rash with breathing trouble
- severe abdominal pain, severe headache, stiff neck or sudden vision change
- signs of severe dehydration, sepsis, high fever with worsening illness, or symptoms in a baby/young child that concern you
Connected health information
Explore this condition in a clear order
Linked signs and symptoms
11Each sign/symptom opens its own page and links back to related conditions.
Linked drugs / medications
0No linked drugs are listed yet.
Treatments, therapies and supportive options
5Grouped by treatment type. These are educational database links, not personal treatment recommendations. Evidence labels are shown only where stored in the EH database.
Linked diagnostic tests and investigations
16These are pulled from both EH diagnostic-test link tables, including the older large test-link table.
- Biopsy
- Blood Culture
- Blood Tests
- Bronchial Lavages
- Creatinine Clearance (CrCl)
- enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) Test
- Fluorescence Assays
- Indirect Hemagglutination
- Latex Agglutination
- Osmolality, Blood (Serum Osmolality)
- polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Test
- Potassium Concentration (K, Blood)
- Protein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein)
- Throat Swabs
- Urine Culture
- Virus Culture
Biological markers/agents
4This visual map shows biological markers/agents reported as increased or decreased with this condition. These are educational relationships only; test results must be interpreted by a qualified clinician because ranges vary by lab, method, age, sex and clinical context.
Often increased
0No markers in this group.
Often decreased
4- Albumin (Blood)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 37–52 gm/dL; Infant (0 - 1y): 4.4–5.4 gm/dLLinked diagnostic testsBlood Albumin Concentration, Protein Electrophoresis (Blood
- Creatinine Clearance RateReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 87–110 ml/minute; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 100–140 ml/minuteLinked diagnostic testsCreatinine Clearance (CrCl)
- Osmolality, Blood (Serum Osmolality)Reference range exampleChild (0 - 16y): 274–290 mOsm/kg; Birth - 2wks: 265–285 mOsm/kgLinked diagnostic testsOsmolality, Blood (Serum Osmolality)
- Potassium (K, Blood)AbbreviationKReference range exampleInfant (0 - 1y): 4.1–5.3 mEq/L; Child (0 - 16y): 3.4–4.7 mEq/LLinked diagnostic testsPotassium Concentration (K, Blood)
Introduction / full article
Ascites
Ascites
Ascites is the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. It is most often attributed to liver damage, although it has also been associated with cancer, pancreatitis, tuberculosis and failure of the heart or kidneys.