Exudative ascites in the course of acute type B hepatitis

Two patients who presented with an exudative ascites in the course of typical acute type B hepatitis are reported. In one of them, ascites was associated with an exudative pleural effusion. In both patients, the clinical course of the hepatitis was uneventful, and ascites and pleural effusion disappeared spontaneously. Portal hypertension and common causes of exudative ascites were excluded. It is suggested that the development of exudative ascites in these patients represent a hitherto unrecognized manifestation of the hepatitis itself.