A 48-year-old man presents to his gastroenterologist for increasing abdominal girth and increasing jaundice

A 48-year-old man presents to his gastroenterologist for increasing abdominal girth and increasing jaundice

A 48-year-old man presents to his gastroenterologist for increasing abdominal girth and increasing jaundice. He has a long history of alcoholic cirrhosis and has multiple admissions for encephalopathy and GI bleeding from esophageal varices. He has been diagnosed with portal hypertension. The increased abdominal girth has been progressive, and he says it is getting hard to breathe. The APRN reviews his last laboratory data and notes that the total protein is 4.6 gm/dl and the albumin is 2.9 g/dl. Upon exam, he has icteric sclera, jaundice, and abdominal spider angiomas. There is a significant fluid wave when percussed. The APRN tells the patient that he has ascites.

Question:

Discuss how ascites develops as a result of portal hypertension.