Peritonitis

Peritonitis

It is defined as the inflammation of the sac like covering which lines your inner abdominal wall and lines the organs of which are present in the abdomen. There are two type of peritonitis spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and secondary peritonitis.

Symptoms

Below mention are the signs and symptoms of peritonitis:

• Confusion
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Tenderness
• Bloating
• Fever
• Diarrhea

Causes

There are many causes of peritonitis some are mentioned below:

• Complicated pancreatitis may lead to the peritonitis also
• Rapture of appendix
• Perforated colon
• Peritoneal dialysis
• Trauma
• Diverticulitis

Complications

If left untreated it can lead to shock or death

• Dehydration
• Sepsis
• Shock
• Multi-organ Failure
• Death

Diagnosis

After taking history and conducting a abdominal examination your doctor might recommend a following tests:

• Peritoneal fluid analysis to check any certain cause and exclude the other
• Blood test to check the blood cell count
• Imaging test like x-ray to see the extend of disease

Treatment

Peritonitis need urgent treatment to prevent the life-threatening complications, treatment options include:

• Antibiotics are first line treatment to prevent the infection caused by bacteria and other organisms.
• Surgery to treat any underlying cause
• Intravenous fluid, blood transfusion and oxygen also support the main treatment and reduce the signs and symptoms.