Bacterial peritonitis

As the name suggests, bacterial peritonitis is a type of peritonitis, caused by a bacterial infection.

Peritonitis

Other names

Acute abdomen; Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis; SBP; Cirrhosis - spontaneous peritonitis

What is peritonitis?

Peritonitis literally means inflammation of the peritoneum.

Acute fibrinopurulent peritonitis

Types

Based on the acuity, it can acute or chronic and based on the source, it can be primary or secondary

Causes of bacterial peritonitis

Peritonitis is caused by a collection of blood, body fluids, or pus in the belly (abdomen).

Spontaneous or primary bacterial peritonitis

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis occurs in people with ascites, in people with certain cancers, and heart failure.

Secondary bacterial peritonitis

Peritonitis can be due to other medical problems called secondary bacterial peritonitis causes of this include:

• Trauma or wounds to the belly
• Ruptured appendix
• Ruptured diverticula
• Infection after any surgery in the belly

Symptoms

Symptoms of acute peritonitis include pain in the abdomen, swelling, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, etc.

Other symptoms may include:

• Passing little or no stools or gas
• Excessive fatigue
• Passing less urine
• Nausea and vomiting
• Racing heartbeat
• Shortness of breath

Physical examination

Upon physical examination, the abdomen is usually tender and may feel firm or "board-like." People with peritonitis usually curl up or refuse to let anyone touch the area.

Investigations

Blood tests, x-rays, and CT scans and in some situations, peritoneal fluid tap to analyze the fluid.

Management

The cause must be identified and treated urgently and treatment typically involves combination of surgery and antibiotics.

Complications

Peritonitis can be life threatening and may cause complications depending on the type of peritonitis.