What e the symptoms of ascites?
Small amounts of fluid in the abdomen do not usually produce symptoms. Mild ascites is hard to notice, but severe ascites leads to abdominal distension. In patients with ascites, a doctor will attempt to identify causes, such as a history of liver disease, other signs of portal hypertension or signs of tuberculosis or nephrotic syndrome. A proportion of chronic ascites patients also develop hepatic hydrothrorax, e.g. unilateral pleural fluid (mainly right-sided) due to liver disease, and many have para-umbilical herniations of the abdominal wall.
