What Is Autoimmune Hepatitis & Why Is It So Serious?

Fluid In The Abdomen

Fluid in the abdomen is called ascites, and this is common in individuals who have liver disease. It is an abnormal build-up of fluid inside the patient's peritoneal cavity and is a common sign of cirrhosis of the liver. Individuals who have ascites suffer from bloating, pain in the abdomen, and shortness of breath. Ascites gets its name because the fluid in the abdomen is full of protein, or ascetic. It happens because when the liver is cirrhotic, the portal vein that delivers blood to it is under abnormally high pressure, called portal hypertension. Because the blood is brought up from the intestine, one of the complications of ascites due to cirrhosis is a bleed in the intestine. This is considered a medical emergency.