Ascites is the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity or peritoneum. This condition can be caused by diseases such as cirrhosis, cancer, and kidney failure. If allowed to accumulate, ascitic fluid can cause various kinds of disorders in the body.
The cause of ascites or fluid buildup in the abdominal cavity needs to be investigated carefully and treated seriously. This is because ascites usually indicates a chronic disease that has lasted long enough or has reached a fairly severe stage.
In general, ascites is characterized by swelling and a feeling of fullness in the abdomen. In addition, people with ascites can also experience shortness of breath due to a full stomach, nausea, vomiting, and swelling of the legs.
List of Conditions That Cause Ascites
The following are some conditions that can cause ascites, namely:
1. Liver cirrhosis
Liver cirrhosis is damage to liver tissue that can occur due to various conditions. Some of the conditions that most often cause cirrhosis include hepatitis B and hepatitis C, fatty liver, and alcoholism.
When liver tissue is damaged, its function and blood flow will also be disrupted. Normally, the liver receives a lot of blood flow and one of them comes from the intestines. When blood flow to the liver is blocked, blood clots occur in the intestinal blood vessels. As a result, the fluid in the intestinal blood vessels out into the abdominal cavity and becomes ascites.
In addition, damaged liver tissue also cannot produce albumin effectively. In fact, albumin is a protein in blood plasma that functions to maintain fluid in blood vessels. If albumin levels drop, fluid from the blood vessels can leak into the abdominal cavity.
2. Kidney failure
One of the most important functions of the kidneys is to maintain an overall balance of body fluids and filter body waste to be excreted through urine.
In kidney failure, the kidneys cannot function optimally. As a result, there is excess fluid and a buildup of waste in the body (uremia). Both of these can make it easier for fluid to leak into the abdominal cavity and cause ascites.
3. Congestive heart failure
Under normal circumstances, the heart pumps blood throughout the body, then receives back the blood that has been "used up". Congestive heart failure can cause obstruction of the backflow of blood from the body to return to the heart, so that blood is blocked in the body's blood vessels.
As a result, the pressure in the blood vessels becomes high and pushes the fluid in the blood vessels out into the tissues or body cavities, including the abdominal cavity. Symptoms include leg swelling and ascites.
4. Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis)
The pancreas has the task of producing and producing enzymes and hormones that help in digesting food. Acute pancreatitis can cause fluid accumulation in response to inflammation and cause ascites.
Meanwhile, in chronic pancreatitis, digestive enzymes do not work for a long time and cause digestion and absorption of food to be not optimal. Over time, the body can lack protein which causes blood albumin levels to drop, resulting in ascites.
In addition, there is also ascites caused by cancer. This condition usually appears as a result of cancer of the organs in the abdominal cavity such as pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, or stomach cancer. However, ascites can also occur due to other cancers, such as lymphoma, uterine cancer, or breast cancer.
This is How to Overcome Ascites
Ascites and its causes can be diagnosed through a physical examination and complete blood count, liver and kidney function, electrolytes, and albumin levels in the blood. An ultrasound or CT scan of the abdomen may also be done to diagnose the cause of ascites.
Ascites is treated based on its cause and the complaints it causes. In addition, how bad the impact on the patient and how often the ascites recurs also needs to be considered.
There are several things that can be done to treat ascites, namely:
1. Cessation of consumption of alcoholic beverages
To minimize liver damage, patients with ascites due to cirrhosis need to stop consuming alcohol and certain drugs such as paracetamol.
2. Restriction of low-salt foods
People with ascites really need to limit salt intake to less than 2 grams (< teaspoon) per day so that the accumulation of fluid in the stomach does not get worse.
3. Treatment with diuretic drugs
Treatment with diuretics along with eating a low-salt diet can remove excess fluid and salt more effectively.
4. Weighing regularly
This is done to monitor the fluid content in the body. It is expected that excess fluid in the body can be reduced and cause weight loss from 0.5 kg to about 1 kg per day. The rate of weight loss may vary between patients with ascites.
5. Paracentesis
If the intake of food, drink, and diuretic treatment is not successful, paracentesis can be performed. This process involves placing a needle into the abdominal cavity to remove ascitic fluid.
This procedure is generally done if fluid builds up very quickly, interferes with breathing, or if the ascites is caused by cancer. The risks that can occur in this procedure are bleeding, infection, injury to the intestine, and electrolyte disturbances.
6. Operation procedure.
If other methods do not work, then surgery can be done to treat the cause of ascites.
Ascites is a condition that must be treated immediately by medical personnel because it can cause complications and interfere with the work of the organs in your body. In addition, ascites can make eating, drinking, moving, and even breathing difficult.
This accumulation of fluid in the stomach can also cause a dangerous stomach infection. Therefore, if symptoms occur as described above, do not delay to check with a doctor for proper examination and treatment.
