Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0030305 (pancreatitis)
 16,014 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In order to determine the composition of "normal" ascitic fluid, the results of analysis of the first paracentesis on 347 consecutive cirrhotic patients with ascites at the West Haven Veterans Administration Hospital between 1955 and 1976 were examined. The ascites was considered "normal" in 259 patients. Bacterial peritonitis was present in 51, malignant ascites in 18, pancreatitic ascites in 15, and ascites of other types in 4 patients. Normal ascites is sterile, usually clear, and contains 281 +/- 25 leukocytes/mm3 (mean +/- SEM), 27 +/- 2% of which are polymorphonuclear. In spontaneous bacterial peritonitis the fluid is usually cloudy, contains 6084 +/- 858 white blood cells/mm3, 77 +/- 4% of which were PMN and culture is positive for a single bacterial species, usually enteric in origin. Malignant and pancreatitis ascites are sterile, often cloudy, and contain an average of 696 +/- 273 and 1821 +/- 833 leukocytes/mm3, respectively, about half of which are polymorphonuclear. Amylase activity is increased in pancreatitic ascites, but not in other types of ascites. Stained smears of sediment for bacteria are often positive in bacterial peritonitis, but not in the other categories. Neither the specific gravity, protein concentration, nor glucose level is useful in the differential diagnosis of ascites. Based on the critical number of leukocytes alone, (500/mm3), one can accurately differentiate infected from uninfected fluid in over 90% of ascitic patients.
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PMID:Analysis of ascitic fluid in cirrhosis. 42 2

Ascites occurring in patients with a history of alcoholism is usually due to cirrhosis but clinically significant ascites also occurs in association with pancreatic disease. We reviewed 265 cases of pancreatitis over a five-year period. There were 129 blacks and 136 Caucasians. Ages ranged from 19-86 years with a mean of 46.2 years. Eight of these cases (3%) were found to have pancreatic ascites. The initial serum and urinary amylase had no prognostic value regarding the subsequent development of pancreatic ascites. The mean ascitic fluid amylase was 14,426 Somogyi units (range 1,279-67,774). The mean ascitic fluid protein was 4.6 gm./100ml. (range 1.4-7.2). High enzyme and protein concentration in the ascitic fluid are characteristic of pancreatic ascites. Out of eight cases, two were associated with a pseudocyst, three with hemorrhagic pancreatitis and three with acute edematous pancreatitis. Four of these eight (50%) died. Pancreatic ascites is a distinct clinical entity which should be differentiated from cirrhotic, tuberculous or malignant ascites.
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PMID:Pancreatic Ascites. 43 2

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP), a fascinating disease that had been reported perhaps 50 times in varying guises over the preceding century, suddenly burst forth in the 1960s and was recognized in clusters of cases almost simultaneously in Paris, London, and West Haven, Connecticut. The spectrum of the disease has broadened. Initially, it was associated almost exclusively with alcoholic cirrhosis, but it has now been found in association with posthepatitic cirrhosis, cryptogenic cirrhosis, chronic active liver disease, and, occasionally, in biliary cirrhosis and cardiac cirrhosis. Recently, it has been reported in alcoholic hepatitis and acute viral hepatitis. It occurs occasionally in malignant ascites and in pancreatitis in the absence of cirrhosis. It is surprisingly common in disseminated lupus, in which it occurs relatively more commonly than in alcoholic cirrhosis. A similar syndrome, primary peritonitis, occurs frequently in children with nephrotic ascites. The clinical pattern of SBP has broadened. Initially it consisted of abdominal pain, fever, rebound tenderness, hypoactive bowel sounds, hypotension, encephalopathy, and cloudy ascites with large numbers of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in ascitic fluid. Each and every symptom, sign, and laboratory abnormality may be absent; indeed, the syndrome can be completely silent. Initially, the causative bacteria appeared to be almost exclusively enteric, but now the list of bacteria isolated in cases of SBP looks like a bacteriology textbook. Anaerobes are rare. Multiple organisms usually suggest nonspontaneous origin such as perforation or vasopressin induction. The differentiation between spontaneous and nonspontaneous bacterial peritonitis is crucial in the differential diagnosis. The great majority of cases of SBP develop in the hospital, 80% more than one week after admission. It is therefore a nosocomial disease that may be precipitated by procedure-induced bacteremia, gastrointestinal bleeding, or diarrhea, and it tends to occur in patients with low ascitic fluid protein (complement) concentrations and severe portal-systemic shunting.
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PMID:Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis: variant syndromes. 368 33