Frequency of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in 265 cirrhotics with ascites

Objective: To evaluate, prospectively, the prevalence, outcome and recurrence of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in cirrhotics with ascites. Setting: Gastroenterology unit at a teaching hospital in Milan and four referring hospitals. Patients and methods: Two hundred and sixty-five consecutive cirrhotics with ascites (208 men, 57 women) were studied. Ascitic fluid tap was obtained at entry to determine total protein concentration, absolute polymorphonuclear (PMN) cell count and to allow bedside culture of both aerobic and anaerobic organisms. Statistical analysis: Mann-Whitney and χ 2 tests. Results: SBP was diagnosed in 24 patients (9%), with enteric organisms involved in 21 patients, culture-negative neutrocytic ascites (CNNA) in 34 (13%) and bacterascites (BA) in 16 (6%)