Survey on causes of referral of patients with ascites to the emergency department of the Rasoul Akram and Firoozgar hospital from 2010 to 2015

Ascites is characterized by excess fluid accumulation in the peritoneal cavity. In assessing a patient with ascites, it is necessary to determine the cause due to the very different causes of ascites, the importance of knowing its causes and finally the unknown status of the disease in the area. In order to determine the causes ascites and the role of age, sex, and other causes we reviewed the causes and the reasons for the visit patients with ascites admitted to the emergency department of Rasoul Akram and Firoozgar Hospitals.

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. In this study, the files of all patients referred to Firoozgar and Rasoul Akram hospitals during 5 years from 2010 to 2015 were evaluated. Data including demographic information, such as age, sex, etc., and clinical information such as cause, drug use, number of years of illness and etc were collected using a pre-designed checklist. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 software.

A total of 427 participants with ascites (48% male and 42% female) were enrolled. The most common cause of referral to hospital was abdominal pain (36.8%) and then increased abdominal girth (20.8%). The most common complication in hospitalized patients with ascites was SBP.

Since SBP can be a life-threatening complication, early diagnosis and prompt treatment should be ensured. Further large-scale studies are suggested.