Diagnosis

To diagnose peritonitis, your health care professional will talk with you about your medical history and give you a physical exam. Your symptoms alone may be enough to diagnose the condition if your peritonitis is associated with peritoneal dialysis.

If more tests are needed to confirm a diagnosis, your healthcare professional may suggest:

• Blood tests. A sample of your blood may be taken to see if you have an increase in disease-fighting white blood cells. This is usually a sign of an infection or inflammation. You can also get a blood culture test to find out if there are bacteria in your blood.
• Imaging tests. You may need an X-ray to check for holes or other tears in your digestive tract. You may also have a test that uses sound waves to make pictures inside your body, called an ultrasound. In some cases, you may get a CT scan.
• Peritoneal fluid analysis. In this test, a thin needle is used to take a sample of the fluid in your peritoneum. You are more likely to have this test if you are receiving peritoneal dialysis or if you have fluid in your stomach from liver disease. An increased number of white blood cells in this fluid usually indicates an infection or inflammation. A culture of the fluid can be used to spot bacteria.

Treatment

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis can be life-threatening. You will need to stay in the hospital. Treatment includes antibiotics. It also includes supportive care to ease your symptoms.

You will also need to stay in the hospital for secondary peritonitis. Treatment may include:

If you receive peritoneal dialysis

If you have peritonitis, your healthcare professional may suggest that you receive dialysis in a different way. You may need this second type of dialysis for several days while your body heals from the infection. If your peritonitis persists or comes back, you may need to stop peritoneal dialysis altogether and switch to another type of dialysis.