ascites (transudate)
Last reviewed 01/2018
Transudative ascites is defined as having less than 3 g of protein per 100 ml of fluid.
It is, as its name would suggest, a transudate - a result of raised hydrostatic pressure forcing fluid out of blood vessels.
Causes include:
- cardiac failure
- nephrotic syndrome and other causes of hypoproteinaemia, e.g. hepatic failure
- constrictive pericarditis
- ovarian tumours, e.g. Meig's syndrome.