It so happens that against the background of the development of a serious disease in the human body, ascites occurs. This disease prevents a full and active lifestyle. Pathology can lead to sad consequences. In modern medicine, there are effective methods of therapy with which you can get rid of the disease at an early stage of its development.
Features of the disease and symptoms
Experts say that this is a serious pathology, which is characterized by accumulation of fluid in the pelvic organs. The most common cause of ascites is a violation of the water balance in the human body, which arose due to the development of a serious pathological process.
In a healthy person, small amounts of liquid are present in the abdominal cavity, which should not accumulate in the body. In the presence of a serious disease of the internal organ, this fluid begins to accumulate, and the lymphatic capillaries slowly absorb the substance. With the appearance of ascites, the amount of fluid increases significantly, as a result of which the work of vital organs is disrupted. For this reason, the general state of human health is deteriorating.
The disease progresses due to the fact that over time, the volume of fluid increases and the volume of circulating blood decreases. This leads to the fact that the compensatory mechanism is launched, which retains water in the body. The patient empties the bladder less and less, while the amount of fluid increases significantly. Due to its excessive accumulation in the abdomen, intra-abdominal pressure rises and blood circulation is disturbed. There are problems in the work of the cardiovascular system.
Loss of protein and electrolyte disturbances cause problems in the functioning of internal organs and worsen the patient’s health. The cause of ascites can only be determined by a doctor after examining the patient.
Stages of the disease
There are several stages of the development of pathology. At the early stage of the onset of the disease, treatment is more effective and faster. When determining the stage of the disease, the doctor takes into account several factors:
- With transient ascites, about 390 ml of fluid accumulates in the pelvic organs. It is possible to diagnose the presence of a disease only after passing a full medical examination. The functioning of vital organs is not impaired. With the help of special medicines, you can easily remove the symptoms of the disease.
- With moderate ascites of the abdominal cavity, not more than 4 liters of water accumulate. The patient has a significantly enlarged abdomen and protrudes the lower part of the abdominal wall. In the supine position, shortness of breath often occurs. By tapping, the doctor is able to determine the presence of fluid in the abdomen.
- With intense ascites, the work of vital organs is disrupted. The amount of fluid that has accumulated in the abdominal cavity reaches 10 liters. At this stage, urgent hospitalization is needed. Treatment is carried out in a hospital under the strict supervision of doctors.
At the initial stage of ascites, signs of the disease may be absent. In the subsequent stages of the pathology, the patient's general condition worsens.
Causes of the disease
Based on the analysis of statistics, we can conclude that the main causes of ascites are:
- Pathology of the liver.
- The presence of cancer.
- Diseases of the cardiovascular system.
Often the cause of ascites is a neglected disease, namely:
- tuberculous lesion of the abdominal cavity;
- gynecological disease;
- endocrine disruption;
- peritonitis;
- diabetes.
To prevent the appearance of ascites, doctors recommend timely treatment of other diseases. If one of the signs of the disease appears, you should immediately visit a specialist.
What factors increase the likelihood of pathology?
As medical practice shows, most often the disease develops in those people who lead an unhealthy lifestyle. Quite often, the following factors contribute to the appearance of ascites:
- taking narcotic substances;
- malnutrition;
- viral hepatitis;
- excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Doctors say that ascites appears when a combination of violations of the vital functions of the body, which lead to the accumulation of fluid in the pelvic organs. You can determine the cause of ascites in a laboratory and instrumental examination.
How to determine the presence of pathology?
There are a number of main signs, thanks to which you can determine the presence of the disease in the early stages of its development. It should be remembered that only after a full medical examination can a doctor make a diagnosis. At home, this is impossible. Among the main signs of pathology are:
- Bloating is the most common symptom of abdominal ascites. In some cases, the abdomen acquires an unnatural round shape and hangs a little.
- Sometimes the navel protrudes and stretch marks appear on the skin.
- Venous patterns on the body appear if the pressure in the area of ​​the pelvic organs of the patient has significantly increased.
- There is severe and acute abdominal pain.
- There is a strong heaviness with the active movement of the body.
- Legs, arms and face swell.
- Due to the development of tachycardia, the patient has a feeling of oxygen starvation.
Among the secondary symptoms of abdominal ascites, nausea and vomiting are distinguished. The disease is often accompanied by constipation, nausea, belching with an unpleasant odor and loss of appetite.
After passing the laboratory and instrumental examination, the specialist analyzes the overall clinical picture and establishes the reason that provoked the appearance of the pathology. If one of the signs of the disease appears, it is important to consult a doctor immediately, since the disease has the property of progressing and passing into complex forms.
Diagnosis of the disease
The doctor performs a thorough examination of the patient. In the process of examining a patient, the following procedures are mandatory:
- Ultrasound
- MRI
- laparocentesis;
- general clinical blood test.
Thanks to ultrasound, you can detect free fluid in the pelvic area and determine its volume. The specialist assesses the condition of the liver and spleen, determines the presence or absence of a tumor and metastasis. With the help of MRI, the doctor examines the tissue and assesses its condition. This type of study allows you to diagnose the main disease that caused pelvic ascites. The reason for the appearance of the pathology is established by the strictly attending physician on the basis of the obtained results of the patient's study.
The doctor must examine the patient with palpation and percussion. By palpation, a specialist estimates the size of the liver and spleen. Thanks to tapping the patient’s abdominal cavity, the doctor is able to analyze percussion sounds that will help indicate the development of the disease. If a dull percussion sound is determined, then, most likely, there is a pronounced ascites.
A laboratory blood test will help determine the cause of ascites. Urinalysis will play an important role in making a diagnosis, since the patient develops problems in the urinary system during the development of the disease. The patient's urine density changes, while its allocated volume decreases.
Recommendations of specialists
You should know that it is impossible to diagnose the disease at home, because for this it is important to conduct laboratory and instrumental studies, which are carried out by a qualified specialist. Based on the results of the tests, the doctor prescribes a comprehensive treatment.
With an advanced disease, it is carried out in a hospital. At the initial stage of identifying a pathology, therapy is carried out medically. In the subsequent stages, the elimination of the problem is possible only with the help of surgical intervention. For this reason, doctors recommend regularly undergoing a medical examination, which will help to determine the disease in a timely manner.
In order to find out the cause of ascites, it is forbidden to use alternative methods, since this can only harm and aggravate the course of the disease. In order to accurately determine the disease that caused the development of ascites, an examination should be done with several specialists. Quite often, the presence of gynecological or oncological pathology is the cause of fluid retention in the abdominal cavity.
Treatment principle
The main principle of the treatment of pathology is the treatment of the main disease, which caused the development of ascites. In its process, it is especially important to remove fluid from the pelvic organs and prevent relapse.
At the initial stage of the development of pathology, treatment is carried out using a salt-free diet, which will ensure the removal of excess fluid from the body. In some cases, at the first stage of the disease, drug treatment is not used.
In the second stage of the disease, therapy is carried out using diet and diuretic therapy. The treatment process is carried out under the strict supervision of a physician. It is important to constantly monitor the patient's condition and control the electrolyte content in the blood.
At the last stage of the development of the disease, fluid is removed from the abdominal cavity. Diuretic therapy is carried out in combination with salt-free nutrition.
It is important for the doctor to pinpoint the cause of ascites. The treatment will be aimed not only at eliminating the symptoms, but also at the main disease that triggered the appearance of the pathology. Only in this way will the patient recover completely.
Can treatment efficacy be predicted?
It is important to understand that ascites is a very serious pathology that arose due to the development of disorders in the functioning of the internal organs of a person. This pathology is not fatal, but it is important to diagnose the disease in a timely manner and responsibly approach the treatment process. If you follow all the recommendations of the attending physician, that is, the ability to completely eliminate ascitic fluid from the abdominal cavity and restore the function of the diseased organ.
When cancer is detected in a patient, ascites progresses rapidly and causes serious complications, which are often fatal. Quite often ascites appears in men. The cause of this disease in the stronger sex is an unhealthy lifestyle.
The main disease that triggered the appearance of ascites, in some cases, disrupts the liver and kidneys. That is why there is an excessive accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. In this case, it is very important to identify the underlying disease and implement therapy. If you want to predict the effectiveness of ascites treatment, you should consider:
- The degree of the disease. The first degree of pathology does not threaten the patient’s life, but it is important to carry out timely treatment, since the liquid tends to accumulate.
- Time to start therapy. With timely access to a doctor, it is possible to quickly and efficiently treat ascites. In this case, important organs are not destroyed and their functioning is not disturbed.
Compensated cirrhosis of the liver is a very serious disease in which the life expectancy is 6-11 years. The main cause of ascites ascites in oncology is an untimely visit to a doctor or improperly selected treatment of tumors.
What is the disease dangerous?
Since ascites tends to progress and go into complex forms, you should consult a doctor in a timely manner and carry out treatment, otherwise serious complications may arise:
- disturbances in the work of the cardiovascular system;
- tachycardia;
- internal hemorrhage;
- peritonitis.
Relapse often occurs with improper therapy. For this reason, it is important to follow all the recommendations of your doctor.
Conservative way to treat the disease
Doctors use a conservative method of treatment when the disease is at an early stage of development or, if necessary, carry out palliative therapy.
During treatment, it is important to remove ascitic fluid and improve the overall health of the patient. To do this, it is important to reduce the level of sodium that enters the human body, and to activate its active excretion in the urine. To achieve a positive result of treatment, it is important to implement an integrated approach:
- follow a diet;
- control weight change;
- take a diuretic drug.
Especially important is nutrition. The diet menu should be discussed with your doctor. Obesity is a common cause of ascites in the abdominal cavity.
Diet for the disease
Proper and salt-free nutrition in edema plays a very important role in the treatment process. Diet will help remove excess fluid from the human body. To do this, it is important to follow the recommendations of doctors, including:
- It is important to consume a minimal amount of salt. Excessive consumption of this product often provokes the development of edema and ascites. It is recommended that the patient exclude salty foods from the diet.
- Drink a small amount of water. When detecting moderate or intense ascites, you should use no more than a liter of fluid per day.
- Exclude fatty foods. The consumption of foods that contain a large amount of fat leads to pancreatitis.
- Adequate protein should be consumed. Protein deficiency is often the cause of edema.
Many people are interested in the causes of ascites, types of disease, but not everyone thinks about their lifestyle. Doctors recommend consuming more fruits and vegetables. It is necessary to include low-fat varieties of meat and fish in the diet. It is recommended to cook food for a couple or bake in the oven, because with this processing the useful properties of the products are not lost. It is forbidden to drink alcohol, tea and coffee. A fatty and fried dish will greatly harm health in the presence of ascites.
Therapist's recommendations to the patient
The main cause of ascites during pregnancy is excessive pressure on the baby’s pelvic organs with the baby’s head. As a rule, after giving birth, unpleasant symptoms of the disease leave the mother.
The causes of ascites in cirrhosis are determined strictly by the doctor after examination of the internal organs. Among the most effective drugs that are used in the treatment process, there are:
- "Furosemide";
- Mannitol
- "Spironolactone."
Doctors recommend taking regular tests, as ascites symptoms are not always present at an early stage of the disease. The cause of the onset of the disease cannot be determined independently, so you should consult a doctor who will prescribe an effective medicine.
The drugs help to remove fluid and reduce the pressure that is exerted on the internal organs. You should know that doctors do not recommend self-medication, as this can lead to death.
The doctor provides a comprehensive and individual treatment, taking into account the physiological characteristics of the body of each patient. The instructions for the drugs indicate only an approximate dosage. The dose and duration of the course of treatment are determined strictly by a specialist, taking into account the degree of the disease and the presence of other pathologies in the body.
In the process of treatment, vitamins should be taken that will strengthen the walls of blood vessels. Antibiotics will help relieve inflammation and eliminate pain in the abdomen.
When should surgery be performed?
Surgical intervention is prescribed by the attending physician only if the excess fluid cannot be removed from the patient's body using conservative treatment.
The laparocentesis procedure is carried out quite often. This method provides the withdrawal of a large volume of fluid from the human body (from 5 to 9 liters). The doctor punctures the tissue in the right place and cuts the skin with a scalpel. A special device is introduced through the incision, with the help of which the doctor removes the liquid in the required volumes. After surgery, the wound is sutured.
Omentohepatophrenopexy
In the process of omentohepatophrenopexy, an omentum is hemmed to the treated area of ​​the diaphragm and liver. Only the attending physician is able to determine what type of surgery should be used in a particular case. The general state of health of the patient and the physiological characteristics of his body are taken into account.
Salt-free diet
After identifying the causes of ascites ascites, the doctor may prescribe a salt-free diet. There is nothing wrong with such a diet, since not many foods need to be excluded from the diet. In the process of following a salt-free diet, it is important to follow the doctor's recommendations. Among which:
- Do not salt the food during cooking, since in this way the salt is absorbed as much as possible into the ingredients.
- Consume food in small portions, approximately every 3-4 hours. The last meal should be no later than 19:00, as, for example, the cause of pelvic ascites is sometimes improper and excessive nutrition.
- , , . (, , , , ). . .
: , , , , , . , .
:
- carbonated drinks;
- , , ;
- ;
- ;
- ;
- pork;
- ;
- candy.
, . , .
, . , . , , - .
:
, . . - .
Despite the fact that ascites is a serious disease, with timely medical attention, it is possible to quickly and effectively cure the patient. The appearance of one of the signs of the disease should be the reason for an immediate appeal to a medical institution. It is forbidden to engage in self-medication, since only a doctor can determine the main disease that triggered the appearance of pathology. The causes of ascites in people, as already mentioned, are very diverse.