Abstract:

Objective  To investigate the risk factors for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in cirrhotic patients with ascites. Methods 193 cirrhotic patients with ascites, who were divided into two groups, the one with SBP and the other without SBP, were included in this study. The following factors such as serum albumin, serum bilirubin, platelet count, international normalized ratio, duration of ascites  complicated with or without hepatocellular carcinoma, diabetes mellitus, hepatic encephalopathy, upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage ,alcohol consumption, sex, age and cause of cirrhosis were analyzed. Results Prevalence of SBP was 30.4% (45/193).  Univariate analysis revealed significant differences between the two groups with regard to serum albumin, ascites complicated with or without hepatocellular carcinoma and alcohol consumption. On the logistic regression analysis, serum albumin level and alcohol consumption were selected as significant independent factors contributing to the development of SBP(P＜0.05). Conclusion Low serum albumin and alcohol consumption are independently high risk factors for SBP.

Key words: Liver cirrhosis; Peritonitis; Risk factors