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Peritonitis

Peritonitis is inflammation (often due to infection) of the peritoneum, which is a two-layered serous membrane covering both the surfaces of the organs that lie in the abdominal cavity and the inner surface of the abdominal cavity itself. Since it is frequently life-threatening, acute peritonitis is a medical emergency. The prognosis for untreated peritonitis is very poor. more...

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Causes

A major cause of bacterial peritonitis is internal perforation of the gastrointestinal tract, contaminating the abdominal cavity with gastric contents and gut flora, the bacteria that live in the digestive tract. Perforation may result as a complication of an intestinal foreign body, colonic diverticulum, or a ruptured appendix, a possible consequence of untreated acute appendicitis. The possibility of peritonitis is the reason why acute appendicitis warrants fast treatment (generally, appendectomy), and other possible causes equally require laparotomy for inspection and treatment.

Signs and symptoms

Patients with peritonitis are frequently in great pain and may present in the fetal position with knees drawn up (this position reduces tension on abdominal muscles by compressing them). Since movement is painful, the abdomen is usually tender, and these patients may hold very still. The abdominal wall is usually rigid (Genuit and Napolitano, 2004). Pain may be localized or diffuse (Genuit and Napolitano, 2004). Patients may have nausea, vomiting, and fever (All Refer Health).

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Mycobacterial peritonitis in pediatric peritoneal dialysis patients
From International Journal of Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial Diseases, 6/1/04

Ferrara, E., Lemire, J., Grimm, P. C., Reznik, V. M., Mendoza, S. A., Leake, J. A., and Benador, N. M. Mycobacterial peritonitis in pediatrie peritoneal dialysis patients. Pediatr. Nephrol. 19(1) (2004)114-117.

Peritonitis is the most common complication and the leading cause of death in p[iota]diatrie peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. According to the most recent data available from the North American Pediatrie Renal Transplant Cooperative Study (NAPRTCS), approximately 25% of p[iota]diatrie PD patients who die succumb to infection. There are no reported cases of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) or Mycobacterium aviumintracellulare peritonitis in the NAPRTCS registry. With an increasing incidence of MTB worldwide and the impairment of cellular immunity in chronic renal failure patients, it is not surprising that mycobacterium peritonitis can occur in PD patients. We report two pediatrie PD patients with mycobacterial peritoneal infection diagnosed over an 11 -year period at our institution. One patient presented with a malfunctioning Tenckhoff catheter and again 3 years later with hyponatremia and ascites. The other presented with recurrent culturenegative peritonitis. These cases illustrate the importance of more extensive evaluation of PD complications, to include evaluation for mycobacterium with special media or peritoneal biopsy, in the above clinical settings if the routine work-up is unrevealing.-Authors' Abstract

Copyright International Leprosy Association Jun 2004
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