Ascites

Ascites is the presence of free fluid (i.e. outside the intestine) in the abdominal cavity. The word comes from the Greek askitos meaning bag - because the abdomen can swell up and look like one. In adults ascites is usually due to liver disease such as cirrhosis, while in children it is more frequently a complication of disease processes affecting other organs such as cardiac failure (see the heart in the chest cavity section), or kidney disease.
 
 
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