Many are interested in how the ascites of the abdominal cavity is treated with folk remedies.
In the medical field, ascites is understood as a secondary disease-causing condition, the hallmark of which is the accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity. The disease is most often caused by defects in the regulation of fluid metabolism in the body due to serious pathological conditions. In the abdominal cavity in a he althy body there is always a small amount of fluid, it does not accumulate, it is absorbed by the lymphatic capillaries.
The following describes the symptoms and treatment of abdominal ascites. Photos of patients with this diagnosis scare many.
What are the causes of ascites?
The main causes of abdominal ascites according to statistics are:
- liver disease;
- oncological pathologies;
- heart failure.
In addition, ascites can accompany the following disorders:
- kidney pathology;
- tuberculous peritoneal lesion;
- gynecological diseases;
- endocrine system disorders;
- rheumatism;
- lupus erythematosus;
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- digestive diseases;
- uremia;
- type 2 diabetes;
- non-infectious peritonitis;
- impaired lymphatic outflow from the peritoneal cavity.
The formation of ascites, in addition to the listed pathologies, can be facilitated by other circumstances:
- drug injection;
- excessive alcohol consumption causing cirrhosis of the liver;
- high cholesterol;
- obesity;
- living in a place where viral hepatitis is common;
- blood transfusion;
- tattoo.
In all situations, the formation of ascites is based on a complex combination of violations of body functions important for life, leading to the accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity.
Pathological signs
One of the main external symptoms of abdominal ascites is an increase in the volume of the abdomen. In a standing position, the patient can hang down like an apron, while in the supine position a special frog belly is formed. The navel may protrude, stretch marks appear on the skin. With portal hypertension, the source of which is an increase in pressure in the portal vein of the liver, a venous pattern is formed on the anterior wall of the peritoneum. It is called the "head of Medusa" because it vaguely resembles the mythologicalMedusa Gorgon, on whose head were moving snakes.
The patient has a feeling of fullness and pain in the abdomen. He has difficulty bending his torso. External symptoms are also swelling of the hands, feet, face, skin cyanosis. The patient develops tachycardia, respiratory failure. Constipation, loss of appetite, belching and nausea may occur.
With the help of instrumental and laboratory tests, the doctor confirms the diagnosis and establishes the cause that caused ascites. For this purpose, MRI, ultrasound, laboratory tests and laparocentesis are done for diagnosis. Thanks to ultrasound, the accumulation of unnecessary fluid in the abdominal cavity and its exact amount, features of the size of the spleen and liver, enlargement of the portal and vena cava, deviations of the renal structure, the existence of metastases and tumors are determined.
Through MRI, it becomes possible to study a certain tissue in layers, to determine even a small amount of ascitic fluid and the main pathology that provoked ascites. The doctor, in addition, examines the patient's condition using percussion and palpation.
Due to palpation, you can determine the symptoms that indicate damage to a particular organ (spleen or liver). Percussion is used directly to determine ascites. Its essence lies in tapping the patient's peritoneal cavity and examining percussion sounds.
If ascites is pronounced, then, for example, a dull percussion sound is diagnosed over the entire surface of the abdomen. Thanks tolaboratory blood tests show a decrease in the content of erythrocytes, the number of ESR and leukocytes increases, the concentration of bilirubin (against the background of cirrhosis of the liver), as well as proteins during inflammation of the acute phase, may increase. With ascites, a urine test at the initial stage may reflect a larger amount of urine of a lower density, since ascites causes disturbances in the activity of the urinary system. The density of end-stage urine may be normal, but the total amount is greatly reduced.
Principles of treatment
General therapeutic principles of ascites involve, first of all, the treatment of the underlying disease. Therapy of ascites itself is aimed at removing fluid from the peritoneal cavity and preventing relapses. Patients with the first degree of ascites do not need medical treatment, as well as a s alt-free diet. With the second degree of ascites, patients require a diet with a reduced concentration of sodium, as well as diuretic therapy. It should be carried out with constant monitoring of the patient's condition, including the content of electrolytes in the blood serum. Patients with the third pathological degree of the disease require the removal of fluid from the peritoneal cavity, and further diuretic treatment is carried out along with a s alt-free diet.
Treatment of abdominal ascites with folk remedies will be discussed further.
Conservative treatment of ascites
Symptomatic or conservative treatment of ascites is used in situations where peritoneal ascites is at the very beginning of its development or in the form of palliative therapy for oncology becomesinappropriate use of other methods. The main task in all cases is to remove fluid from the peritoneum and maintain the patient's condition at a certain level. This requires reducing the amount of sodium entering the body and increasing its excretion in urine. A positive result can be achieved only with an integrated approach, with a diet, taking diuretics and controlling your weight. The main principles of the diet in the presence of ascites are as follows:
- Minimum amount of s alt. Excessive consumption of it causes the appearance of puffiness, that is, ascites. It is advisable for patients to limit s alty foods in the diet as much as possible.
- Minimum liquid volume. With intense or moderate ascites, the amount of fluid from 500 to 1000 milliliters per day in its pure form is normal.
- Minimum fat. High-fat foods cause pancreatitis.
- The normal amount of protein in the diet. It is the lack of protein that can cause edema. It is advisable to eat low-fat types of fish and meat, low-fat kefir and cottage cheese, fruits, herbs, vegetables, compotes, wheat groats, kissels. It is better to cook food for a couple or bake in the oven. You can not eat fatty fish and meat, fried foods, s alt, smoked meats, coffee, tea, alcohol and spices.
- During the treatment of ascites, weight changes should be monitored. When a s alt-free diet begins, you need to weigh yourself every day for a week. If the patient lost moretwo kilograms, then diuretics are not prescribed to him. If less than two kilograms are lost, then drug treatment is carried out over the next week.
Diuretic drugs for abdominal ascites contribute to the removal of excess fluid from the body, help to move part of the fluid from the peritoneal cavity into the bloodstream.
At the same time, the clinical symptoms of ascites are significantly reduced. The main drugs used in the treatment are Spironolactone, Mannitol, Furosemide.
On an outpatient basis, Furosemide is prescribed intravenously no more than twenty milligrams once every two days. It removes fluid from the vascular bed through the kidneys. The main disadvantage of the drug is excessive excretion of potassium from the body. "Mannitol" is used along with "Furosemide", as their influence is combined. It removes fluid from the space between cells into the bloodstream. It is administered intravenously at 200 milligrams. But in an outpatient setting, it is undesirable to use it. Spironolactone is also a diuretic, but it can prevent excess potassium excretion. Additional drugs are prescribed that strengthen the walls of blood vessels (diosmin, vitamins), drugs that affect the circulatory system ("Reopoliglyukin", "Gelatinol"), antibiotics, albumin.
Treatment of abdominal ascites with folk remedies
Folk herbal preparations are very effective for ascites. A large number of plants can cope withsigns of the disease, and also contribute to the effective and safe treatment of pathology. However, it must be remembered that certain herbs are forbidden to be combined with some drugs that a person is already drinking for therapeutic purposes. Therefore, before using the folk remedies listed below, it is advisable to first consult with a specialist.
Using Garlic
This folk remedy for the treatment of abdominal ascites is very popular. Garlic contains the substance allicin, which has strong anti-inflammatory properties and helps relieve pain due to ascites.
The antibacterial properties of garlic also destroy microbes that can cause infection that provoked ascites. You need to eat four to five cloves every day to fight the disease.
What else is used to treat abdominal ascites with folk remedies?
Dandelion treatment
Dandelion is an excellent folk remedy in the treatment of ascites. This plant improves digestion, reduces inflammation of the liver. As a result, this method is effective for people who have received ascites due to liver pathology. Among other things, dandelion is a good diuretic that effectively cures the disease. Tea is made from dandelion grass, honey is added there, you need to drink it three times a day.
Treatment of abdominal ascites at home should be very careful.
Licorice
Another useful drug in the treatment of ascites are licorice roots. They can be used as a natural diuretic, which helps to remove excess fluid and reduce swelling in the abdomen due to ascites.
Among other things, such a remedy is useful for patients suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, a disease that is the main source of ascites. Regular use of this method helps to fight the disease. Treatment of abdominal ascites with folk remedies should be under the supervision of a physician.
Great burdock
This plant has been used for many years in the treatment of various diseases to maintain he alth. Burdock is especially useful in the treatment of pathologies of the liver and kidneys, which are the main source of ascites. The roots of the plant have a significant anti-inflammatory effect, helping to relieve pain. They can simply be eaten raw or made into a tea from the dried ingredient. Drinking two cups of this drink every day helps reduce pain and swelling.
Next, we will consider how abdominal ascites is treated with oncology.
Development of ascites in oncological diseases
In oncology, ascites is an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the peritoneum that develops as a complication of cancerous tumors of the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, ovaries, breast, and liver. This disease develops in the third and fourth stages. Ascites can cause deathpatient.
In practice, it turns out that 65% of patients remove fluid through the use of diuretics. Often, in the treatment of ascites, abdominal paracentesis is performed, that is, a puncture of the peritoneal cavity, which both facilitates the person's condition and allows you to analyze the fluid for leukocytes, total protein, infection (seeding, Gram's method).
In oncology, the treatment of abdominal ascites also includes chemotherapy. For example, the drug "Paclitaxel" is effective in testicular cancer, "Leucovorin" and "5-fluorouracil" is used in colon cancer.
Sometimes intracavitary treatment is prescribed, which consists in removing fluid from the abdominal cavity and injecting Bleomycin.
Below are reviews of the treatment of abdominal ascites with folk remedies.
Reviews
According to reviews, ascites most often occurs with a diagnosis of cirrhosis of the liver. In this case, the hepatologist prescribes the intake of diuretics. Patients report that these medications do not always help. The laparocentesis procedure is effective, but it also provides temporary relief. If the cause that provokes the development of ascites is correctly established, then recovery will not be long in coming.
Patients in the reviews of abdominal ascites say that the disease often progresses rapidly, causing many complications. Often a fatal outcome becomes inevitable, even if the therapy was carried out fully and adequately. Experts explain this by a clear lesion of organs important for life, primarily the lungs, kidneys, heart andliver.
There are still reviews on the treatment of abdominal ascites with folk remedies. In the event that the pathology is detected at the initial stage, herbal therapy and folk recipes at home are very effective. People report that dandelion and burdock tea is excellent for removing liquid from the body.
The main thing is not to self-medicate, be sure to visit a doctor.
Now many have understood the symptoms and treatment of abdominal ascites. With this pathology, the patient's recovery depends not only on the volume of fluid and the quality of therapy, but also on the underlying disease that served as the source of its accumulation.
