What causes a swollen belly?

In life, many people suffer from ascites, which is actually a relatively serious disease. Patients with severe ascites will suffer from cirrhosis, and thus will step by step towards death. Therefore, many people go to the hospital to take an X-ray and check in time when they feel their stomach is swollen. This is the only way to effectively prevent the disease and spend money on prevention rather than treatment. So what is the cause of the swollen stomach?

Abdominal masses (including the abdominal wall, abdominal cavity and retroperitoneal space) can be physiological, such as a full bladder, a pregnant uterus, dry stool, etc.; more importantly, they can be pathological, which are the clinical manifestations of some abdominal diseases. The abdominal mass usually refers to the latter, which is difficult to diagnose, and special attention should be paid to distinguishing it from "physiological masses".

There are many classification methods, and the mass can be roughly divided into six types according to its nature (Table 1 Classification of abdominal masses).

Some diseases cannot be precisely classified according to the above classification. For example, retroperitoneal masses can appear in any part of the abdomen. Pancreatic cystadenocarcinoma is both a tumor and a cyst. Usually, abdominal masses refer to chronic diseases, and masses manifested by acute abdomen are not included.

Physiological "lumps" are not real diseases, but are sometimes mistaken for pathological masses. In addition to the uterus, bladder, and fecal masses, the muscles between the well-developed rectus abdominis tendons, the spine or sacral promontory in emaciation, and the spontaneously spasmodic intestines may all be misdiagnosed as pathological. Even the abdominal aorta of a person with a soft or weak abdominal wall may be mistaken for a "pulsating mass."

Inflammatory masses are often accompanied by signs of inflammation such as fever, local pain, and increased white blood cell count. Such as periappendicitis mass, mesenteric lymph node tuberculosis, perirenal abscess, etc.

Tumor masses are mostly solid masses. Malignant tumors account for the majority and are characterized by rapid development, accompanied by anemia, weight loss and cachexia in the late stage; benign tumors have a long history, are larger, smoother and have a certain degree of mobility.

Cystic masses are mostly round or oval in shape, with a smooth surface and a sense of fluctuation. Common ones include congenital polycystic liver, polycystic kidney, urachal cyst; retention pancreatic cyst, hydronephrosis; tumorous ovarian cyst; inflammatory gallbladder effusion, hydrosalpinx, encapsulated effusion; parasitic hydatid cyst, etc.

Obstructive masses: Obstructive masses in the gastrointestinal tract can cause abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting, or constipation without flatus; masses obstructing the bile duct cause painless jaundice, usually without fever; masses obstructing the urinary tract often cause swelling and pain in the lower back. Strictly speaking, congestive splenomegaly and cholestatic hepatomegaly are also obstructive masses.

Traumatic masses such as spleen rupture hematoma in the left upper abdomen, pancreatic pseudocyst in the upper abdomen, retroperitoneal hematoma in the lower abdomen or pelvic cavity, etc. See Abdominal Trauma.

Diagnostic Tips The diagnosis of abdominal masses relies on a detailed medical history, careful examination, accurate test results, and necessary special examinations. Questions such as whether the lump is pathological, its location and origin, and its nature are required in order to formulate a treatment plan.