CINXE.COM
peritonitis - Definition - NIDDK
<!doctype html> <html lang="en-US"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge"> <title>peritonitis - Definition - NIDDK</title> <meta name="msvalidate.01" content="7FEF9D64C9916EC9393EB5B21BD0037E"> <meta name="format-detection" content="telephone=no"> <link rel="icon" href="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/favicon.ico"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/images/apple-touch-icon.png"> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://www.google-analytics.com"> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://www.googletagmanager.com"> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="https://www.google-analytics.com"> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="https://www.googletagmanager.com"> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="https://dap.digitalgov.gov"> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="https://livechat.niddk.nih.gov"> <link rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/styles/fonts/merriweather-v30-latin-regular.woff2" crossorigin> <link rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/styles/fonts/open-sans-v29-latin-regular.woff2" crossorigin> <link rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/styles/fonts/open-sans-v29-latin-600.woff2" crossorigin> <link rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/styles/fonts/open-sans-v29-latin-700.woff2" crossorigin> <link rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/styles/fonts/montserrat-v24-latin-regular.woff2" crossorigin> <link rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/styles/fonts/dki.woff2" crossorigin> <link rel="preload" as="fetch" href="/_internal/livechat/livechatstatus?id=62e3ca8f-9d91-42ce-abec-5bbe43298811" id="_lcstatuslink" crossorigin> <link rel="stylesheet" media="print" onload="this.media='all'" href="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/deps/slick-carousel/slick.min.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" media="print" onload="this.media='all'" href="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/deps/jquery-scrolltabs/scrolltabs.min.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" media="print" onload="this.media='all'" href="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/deps/magnific-popup/magnific-popup.min.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" media="print" onload="this.media='all'" href="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/deps/tablesaw/tablesaw.min.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/styles/niddk-web.css"> <noscript><link rel="stylesheet" href="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/styles/niddk-nojs.css"></noscript> <meta name="robots" content="noindex" /> <meta name="robots" content="none" /> <link href="https://www.niddk.nih.gov/dictionary/p/peritonitis" rel="canonical" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.niddk.nih.gov/dictionary/p/peritonitis"> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:title" content="peritonitis - Definition - NIDDK" /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.niddk.nih.gov/-/media/Images/Components/Default-Social-Media-Images/Definition-Card-updated.png" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary" /> <meta name="twitter:site:id" content="1901405066" /> <meta name="twitter:title" content="peritonitis - Definition - NIDDK" /> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://www.niddk.nih.gov/-/media/Images/Components/Default-Social-Media-Images/Definition-Card-updated.png" /> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; dataLayer.push({"pageURL":"https://www.niddk.nih.gov/dictionary/p/peritonitis","pagePath":"/dictionary/p/peritonitis","pageTitle":"peritonitis | Definition","pageLanguage":"English"}); </script> <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-MBRL4D');</script></head> <body itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/WebPage" class="page-lang-en"> <noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-MBRL4D" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden" name="Google Tag Manager" title="Google Tag Manager"></iframe></noscript> <div class="site-wrap"> <header class="site-header"> <a href="#main" class="skip-link">Skip to main content</a> <div class="site-alerts"> </div> <section class="usa-banner" aria-label="Official website of the United States government"> <div class="usa-accordion grid"> <div class="usa-banner__header"> <div class="usa-banner__inner"> <div class="usa-banner__inner-flag"> <img class="usa-banner__header-flag" src="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABAAAAALCAMAAABBPP0LAAAAG1BMVEUdM7EeNLIeM7HgQCDaPh/bPh/bPx/////bPyBEby41AAAAUElEQVQI123MNw4CABDEwD3jC/9/MQ1BQrgeOSkIqYe2o2FZtthXgQLgbHVMZdlsfUQFQnHtjP1+8BUhBDKOqtmfot6ojqPzR7TjdU+f6vkED+IDPhTBcMAAAAAASUVORK5CYII=" alt="U.S. flag"> </div> <div class="usa-banner__inner-text"> <p class="usa-banner__header-text">An official website of the United States government</p> <p class="usa-banner__header-action" aria-hidden="true">Here’s how you know</p> </div> <button type="button" class="usa-banner__button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="gov-banner"> <span class="usa-banner__button-text">Here’s how you know</span> </button> </div> </div> <div class="usa-banner__content usa-accordion__content" id="gov-banner" hidden> <div class="usa-banner__guidance"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" width="64" height="64" viewBox="0 0 64 64"><title>Official government website icon</title><path fill="#2378C3" fill-rule="evenodd" d="M32 0c17.673 0 32 14.327 32 32 0 17.673-14.327 32-32 32C14.327 64 0 49.673 0 32 0 14.327 14.327 0 32 0zm0 1.208C14.994 1.208 1.208 14.994 1.208 32S14.994 62.792 32 62.792 62.792 49.006 62.792 32 49.006 1.208 32 1.208zm10.59 38.858a.857.857 0 0 1 .882.822v1.642H18.886v-1.642a.857.857 0 0 1 .882-.822H42.59zM25.443 27.774v9.829h1.642v-9.83h3.273v9.83H32v-9.83h3.272v9.83h1.643v-9.83h3.272v9.83h.76a.857.857 0 0 1 .882.821v.821h-21.3v-.809a.857.857 0 0 1 .88-.82h.762v-9.842h3.272zm5.736-8.188l12.293 4.915v1.642h-1.63a.857.857 0 0 1-.882.822H21.41a.857.857 0 0 1-.882-.822h-1.642v-1.642l12.293-4.915z" /></svg> <div class="usa-media-block__body"> <p> <strong>Official websites use .gov</strong> <br> A <strong>.gov</strong> website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. </p> </div> </div> <div class="usa-banner__guidance"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" width="64" height="64" viewBox="0 0 64 64"><title>icon-https</title><path fill="#719F2A" fill-rule="evenodd" d="M32 0c17.673 0 32 14.327 32 32 0 17.673-14.327 32-32 32C14.327 64 0 49.673 0 32 0 14.327 14.327 0 32 0zm0 1.208C14.994 1.208 1.208 14.994 1.208 32S14.994 62.792 32 62.792 62.792 49.006 62.792 32 49.006 1.208 32 1.208zm0 18.886a7.245 7.245 0 0 1 7.245 7.245v3.103h.52c.86 0 1.557.698 1.557 1.558v9.322c0 .86-.697 1.558-1.557 1.558h-15.53c-.86 0-1.557-.697-1.557-1.558V32c0-.86.697-1.558 1.557-1.558h.52V27.34A7.245 7.245 0 0 1 32 20.094zm0 3.103a4.142 4.142 0 0 0-4.142 4.142v3.103h8.284V27.34A4.142 4.142 0 0 0 32 23.197z" /></svg> <div class="usa-media-block__body"> <p> <strong>Secure .gov websites use HTTPS</strong> <br> A <strong>lock</strong> ( <span class="icon-lock"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="52" height="64" viewbox="0 0 52 64" class="usa-banner__lock-image" role="img" aria-labelledby="banner-lock-title banner-lock-description" focusable="false"> <title id="banner-lock-title">Lock</title> <desc id="banner-lock-description">Locked padlock icon</desc> <path fill="#000000" fill-rule="evenodd" d="M26 0c10.493 0 19 8.507 19 19v9h3a4 4 0 0 1 4 4v28a4 4 0 0 1-4 4H4a4 4 0 0 1-4-4V32a4 4 0 0 1 4-4h3v-9C7 8.507 15.507 0 26 0zm0 8c-5.979 0-10.843 4.77-10.996 10.712L15 19v9h22v-9c0-6.075-4.925-11-11-11z" /> </svg> </span> ) or <strong>https://</strong> means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section> <div class="stripe-brand"> <div class="dk-brand-wrap"> <div class="dk-site-logos"> <a href="/" title="NIDDK home page"> <img src="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/images/site-logos.svg#full" width="300" height="67" class="desktop" alt="NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases" /> <img src="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/images/site-logos.svg#abbrev" width="150" height="34" class="mobile" alt="NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases" /> </a> <a href="/about-niddk/75th-anniversary" title="NIDDK 75th Anniversary"> <img src="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/images/site-logos.svg#full75" width="63" height="67" class="desktop" alt="75 years: 1950-2025" /> <img src="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/images/site-logos.svg#abbrev75" width="35" height="30" class="mobile" alt="75 years: 1950-2025" /> </a> </div> <form class="dk-site-search" id="site-search" action="/search" method="GET" aria-label="Site search"> <button type="button" class="close-mobile-site-search" aria-label="Close search"><i class="i-times"></i></button> <div class="site-search-info">Search for Information from NIDDK</div> <button type="button" class="ss-options" title="Change search scope" aria-label="Select scope" aria-haspopup="true" aria-owns="site-search-opts"> <i class="i-angle-down" aria-hidden="true"></i> </button> <ul id="site-search-opts" role="menu" aria-hidden="true" aria-label="Scope options"> <li role="menuitemradio" aria-checked="true" data-value="all">Entire Site</li> <li role="menuitemradio" aria-checked="false" data-value="research">Research & Funding</li> <li role="menuitemradio" aria-checked="false" data-value="health-info">Health Information</li> <li role="menuitemradio" aria-checked="false" data-value="news">News</li> <li role="menuitemradio" aria-checked="false" data-value="about">About NIDDK</li> </ul> <input type="hidden" name="s" value="all" /> <input type="text" name="q" placeholder="Search Entire Site…" aria-label="Site search terms" /> <button type="submit" class="ss-go" title="Search Entire Site">Search</button> </form> </div> </div> <div class="balloon"></div> <nav class="dk-site-nav sticky" aria-label="Site"> <div class="grid" role="presentation"> <div class="sn-bar" role="list" aria-owns="dk_sn0 dk_sn1 dk_sn2 dk_sn3 dk_sn4"> <div id="dk_sn0" class="sn-home" role="listitem"> <div class="sn-section-title"> <a href="/" class="dk-logo">Home</a> </div> </div> <div class="sn-sections-wrap" role="presentation"> <div class="sn-sections" role="presentation"> <div id="dk_sn1" class="sn-section" role="listitem"> <input id="dk_snexpand1" type="checkbox" class="sn-chk-expand"/> <div class="sn-section-title"> <a href="/research-funding"><span>Research & Funding</span></a> <label for="dk_snexpand1" class="sn-lbl-expand">Expand Research & Funding</label> </div> <div class="sn-subsections" role="list"> <div class="sn-collapsible"> <div role="presentation"> <div role="listitem"><a href="/research-funding/current-opportunities">Current Funding Opportunities</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/research-funding/research-programs">Research Programs & Contacts</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/research-funding/human-subjects-research">Human Subjects Research</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/research-funding/process">Funding Process</a></div> </div> <div role="presentation"> <div role="listitem"><a href="/research-funding/training-career-development">Research Training & Career Development</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/research-funding/funded-grants-grant-history">Funded Grants & Grant History</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/research-funding/research-resources">Research Resources</a></div> </div> <div role="presentation"> <div role="listitem"><a href="/research-funding/at-niddk">Research at NIDDK</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/research-funding/technology-advancement-transfer">Technology Advancement & Transfer</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/news/meetings-workshops">Meetings & Workshops</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="dk_sn2" class="sn-section" role="listitem"> <input id="dk_snexpand2" type="checkbox" class="sn-chk-expand"/> <div class="sn-section-title"> <a href="/health-information"><span>Health Information</span></a> <label for="dk_snexpand2" class="sn-lbl-expand">Expand Health Information</label> </div> <div class="sn-subsections" role="list"> <div class="sn-collapsible"> <div role="group" class="sn-subgroup" aria-labelledby="dk_snsg0"> <div id="dk_snsg0" class="sn-subgroup-title" role="presentation">Health Topics</div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/health-information/diabetes">Diabetes</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/health-information/digestive-diseases">Digestive Diseases</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/health-information/kidney-disease">Kidney Disease</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/health-information/weight-management">Weight Management</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/health-information/liver-disease">Liver Disease</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/health-information/urologic-diseases">Urologic Diseases</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/health-information/endocrine-diseases">Endocrine Diseases</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/health-information/diet-nutrition">Diet & Nutrition</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/health-information/blood-diseases">Blood Diseases</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/health-information/diagnostic-tests">Diagnostic Tests</a></div> </div> <div role="presentation"> <div role="listitem"><a href="/health-information/informacion-de-la-salud">La información de la salud en español</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/health-information/health-statistics">Health Statistics</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/health-information/healthy-moments">Healthy Moments Radio Broadcast</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/health-information/clinical-trials">Clinical Trials</a></div> </div> <div role="presentation"> <div role="listitem"><a href="/health-information/professionals">For Health Professionals</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/health-information/professionals/diabetes-discoveries-practice">Diabetes Discoveries & Practice Blog</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/health-information/community-health-outreach">Community Health & Outreach</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="dk_sn3" class="sn-section" role="listitem"> <input id="dk_snexpand3" type="checkbox" class="sn-chk-expand"/> <div class="sn-section-title"> <a href="/news"><span>News</span></a> <label for="dk_snexpand3" class="sn-lbl-expand">Expand News</label> </div> <div class="sn-subsections" role="list"> <div class="sn-collapsible"> <div role="presentation"> <div role="listitem"><a href="/news/archive">News Archive</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/news/for-reporters">For Reporters</a></div> </div> <div role="presentation"> <div role="listitem"><a href="/news/meetings-workshops">Meetings & Workshops</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/news/media-library">Media Library</a></div> </div> <div role="presentation"> <div role="listitem"><a href="/news/follow-us">Follow Us</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="dk_sn4" class="sn-section" role="listitem"> <input id="dk_snexpand4" type="checkbox" class="sn-chk-expand"/> <div class="sn-section-title"> <a href="/about-niddk"><span>About NIDDK</span></a> <label for="dk_snexpand4" class="sn-lbl-expand">Expand About NIDDK</label> </div> <div class="sn-subsections" role="list"> <div class="sn-collapsible"> <div role="presentation"> <div role="listitem"><a href="/about-niddk/meet-director">Meet the Director</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/about-niddk/offices-divisions">Offices & Divisions</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/about-niddk/staff-directory">Staff Directory</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/about-niddk/budget-legislative-information">Budget & Legislative Information</a></div> </div> <div role="presentation"> <div role="listitem"><a href="/about-niddk/advisory-coordinating-committees">Advisory & Coordinating Committees</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/about-niddk/strategic-plans-reports">Strategic Plans & Reports</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/about-niddk/research-areas">Research Areas</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/about-niddk/faqs">FAQs</a></div> </div> <div role="presentation"> <div role="listitem"><a href="/about-niddk/jobs">Jobs at NIDDK</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/about-niddk/visit-us">Visit Us</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/about-niddk/contact-us">Contact Us</a></div> <div role="listitem"><a href="/about-niddk/75th-anniversary">NIDDK 75th Anniversary</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </header> <main id="main"> <div class="grid"> <div class="dk-breadcrumb-row"> </div> <div class="dk-main-container"> <article class="dk-content"> <h1 itemprop="name">Dictionary Definition: peritonitis</h1> <div class="dk-flex-table"> <div class="dk-row"> <div class="dk-box border-thick"> <div class="dk-box-content"> <div class="lightbox detail dictionary" data-title="Dictionary"> <dl class="term-definition"> <dt><dfn>peritonitis</dfn></dt> <dd class="pronunciation"></dd> <dd>An infection of the lining of your abdominal cavity.</dd> </dl> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </main> <footer id="main-footer" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/GovernmentOrganization" itemid="https://www.niddk.nih.gov"> <meta itemprop="name" content="National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases"> <meta itemprop="alternateName" content="NIDDK"> <link itemprop="url" href="https://www.niddk.nih.gov"> <link itemprop="logo" href="/images/site-logo.png"> <link itemprop="sameAs" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Institute_of_Diabetes_and_Digestive_and_Kidney_Diseases"> <span itemprop="address" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/PostalAddress"> <meta itemprop="name" content="NIDDK, NIH"> <meta itemprop="streetAddress" content="31 Center Drive, MSC 2560"> <meta itemprop="addressLocality" content="Bethesda"> <meta itemprop="addressRegion" content="MD"> <meta itemprop="addressCountry" content="US"> <meta itemprop="postalCode" content="20892-2560"> </span> <section id="contact"> <div class="grid"> <h2>Contact Us</h2> <div class="contact-flex v2"> <address itemprop="department" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/GovernmentOffice"> <meta itemprop="name" content="The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Health Information Center" /> <link itemprop="url" href="/health-information" /> <link itemprop="image" href="/images/site-logo.png" /> <meta itemprop="telephone" content="+1-800-860-8747" /> <meta itemprop="openingHours" content="Mo-Fr 08:30-17:00" /> <meta itemprop="address" content="9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States" /> <div class="contact-time"> <i class="i-clock-o"></i> <span> <strong>Hours:</strong> <time datetime="08:30">8:30 a.m.</time> to <time datetime="17:00">5 p.m.</time> ET, Monday - Friday</span> </div> <a class="contact-email" href="mailto:healthinfo@niddk.nih.gov"> <i class="i-envelope-o"></i> <span> <strong>Email:</strong> <span class="lnk" itemprop="email">healthinfo@niddk.nih.gov</span></span> </a> <a class="contact-mobile" href="tel:1-800-860-8747" itemprop="contactPoint" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ContactPoint"> <i class="i-mobile"></i> <span> <strong>Phone:</strong> <span class="lnk" itemprop="telephone"><span class="hide">+</span>1-800-860-8747</span> <meta itemprop="contactType" content="customer service" /> <meta itemprop="contactOption" content="TollFree" /> </span> </a> <a class="contact-tty" href="tel:711" itemprop="contactPoint" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ContactPoint"> <i class="i-tty"></i> <span> <strong>TTY:</strong> <span class="lnk" itemprop="telephone"><span class="hide">+</span>711</span> <meta itemprop="contactType" content="customer service" /> <meta itemprop="contactOption" content="HearingImpairedSupported" /> <meta itemprop="contactOption" content="TollFree" /> </span> </a> <div class="print-social"> <svg viewbox="0 0 600 100" fill="currentcolor"> <path d="M550,9.01c13.35,0,14.93.05,20.2.29,4.87.22,7.52,1.04,9.28,1.72,2.33.91,4,1.99,5.75,3.74,1.75,1.75,2.83,3.42,3.74,5.75.68,1.76,1.5,4.41,1.72,9.28.24,5.27.29,6.85.29,20.2s-.05,14.93-.29,20.2c-.22,4.87-1.04,7.52-1.72,9.28-.91,2.33-1.99,4-3.74,5.75-1.75,1.75-3.42,2.83-5.75,3.74-1.76.68-4.41,1.5-9.28,1.72-5.27.24-6.85.29-20.2.29s-14.93-.05-20.2-.29c-4.87-.22-7.52-1.04-9.28-1.72-2.33-.91-4-1.99-5.75-3.74-1.75-1.75-2.83-3.42-3.74-5.75-.68-1.76-1.5-4.41-1.72-9.28-.24-5.27-.29-6.85-.29-20.2s.05-14.93.29-20.2c.22-4.87,1.04-7.52,1.72-9.28.91-2.33,1.99-4,3.74-5.75,1.75-1.75,3.42-2.83,5.75-3.74,1.76-.68,4.41-1.5,9.28-1.72,5.27-.24,6.85-.29,20.2-.29h0ZM550,0c-13.58,0-15.28.06-20.62.3-5.32.24-8.96,1.09-12.14,2.32-3.29,1.28-6.08,2.99-8.86,5.77-2.78,2.78-4.49,5.57-5.77,8.85-1.24,3.18-2.08,6.82-2.32,12.14-.24,5.33-.3,7.04-.3,20.62s.06,15.28.3,20.62c.24,5.32,1.09,8.96,2.32,12.14,1.28,3.29,2.99,6.08,5.77,8.86,2.78,2.78,5.57,4.49,8.86,5.77,3.18,1.24,6.82,2.08,12.14,2.32,5.33.24,7.04.3,20.62.3s15.28-.06,20.62-.3c5.32-.24,8.96-1.09,12.14-2.32,3.29-1.28,6.08-2.99,8.86-5.77,2.78-2.78,4.49-5.57,5.77-8.86,1.24-3.18,2.08-6.82,2.32-12.14.24-5.33.3-7.04.3-20.62s-.06-15.28-.3-20.62c-.24-5.32-1.09-8.96-2.32-12.14-1.28-3.29-2.99-6.08-5.77-8.86-2.78-2.78-5.57-4.49-8.86-5.77-3.18-1.24-6.82-2.08-12.14-2.32C565.28.06,563.58,0,550,0h0ZM550,24.32c-14.18,0-25.67,11.5-25.67,25.67s11.49,25.67,25.67,25.67,25.67-11.49,25.67-25.67-11.49-25.67-25.67-25.67ZM550,66.66c-9.21,0-16.67-7.46-16.67-16.67s7.46-16.67,16.67-16.67,16.67,7.46,16.67,16.67-7.46,16.67-16.67,16.67ZM582.69,23.31c0,3.31-2.69,6-6,6s-6-2.69-6-6,2.69-6,6-6,6,2.69,6,6Z"></path> <path d="M485.16,15.65c-1.61-6.13-6.45-10.97-12.58-12.66-11.05-2.98-55.4-2.98-55.4-2.98,0,0-44.35,0-55.48,2.98-6.13,1.61-10.89,6.45-12.58,12.66-2.9,11.13-2.9,34.36-2.9,34.36,0,0,0,23.23,2.98,34.35,1.61,6.13,6.45,10.97,12.58,12.66,11.05,2.98,55.4,2.98,55.4,2.98,0,0,44.35,0,55.48-2.98,6.13-1.61,10.89-6.45,12.58-12.66,2.9-11.13,2.9-34.35,2.9-34.35,0,0,0-23.23-2.98-34.35ZM402.66,71.13V28.87l37.1,21.13-37.1,21.13h0Z"></path> <path d="M334.34,3v94c0,1.66-1.34,3-3,3h-27.99v-38.74h12.96l1.95-15.1h-14.91v-9.64c0-4.36,1.17-7.29,7.49-7.29l7.94-.07v-13.48c-1.37-.2-6.12-.59-11.59-.59-11.52,0-19.47,7.03-19.47,19.92v11.13h-13.02v15.1h13.02v38.74h-50.39c-1.66,0-3-1.34-3-3V3c0-1.66,1.34-3,3-3h94c1.66,0,3,1.34,3,3Z"></path> <path d="M198.99,0h16.96l-37.07,42.36,43.61,57.64h-34.15l-26.73-34.97-30.6,34.97h-16.96l39.63-45.31L111.86,0h35l24.18,31.96L198.99,0ZM193.02,89.86h9.4L141.75,9.63h-10.09l61.36,80.23Z"></path> <path d="M15.43,83.72h15.04v-45.18h-15.04v45.18ZM31.45,24.61c-.07-4.43-3.26-7.81-8.4-7.81s-8.53,3.39-8.53,7.81,3.26,7.81,8.33,7.81h.07c5.27,0,8.53-3.52,8.53-7.81h0ZM69.53,83.72h15.04v-25.91c0-13.87-7.42-20.31-17.32-20.31-8.07,0-11.65,4.49-13.61,7.62h.13v-6.58h-15.04s.2,4.23,0,45.18h15.04v-25.26c0-1.3.07-2.67.46-3.65,1.11-2.67,3.58-5.47,7.75-5.47,5.4,0,7.55,4.1,7.55,10.22v24.15h0ZM100,18.75v62.5c0,10.35-8.4,18.75-18.75,18.75H18.75c-10.35,0-18.75-8.4-18.75-18.75V18.75C0,8.4,8.4,0,18.75,0h62.5c10.35,0,18.75,8.4,18.75,18.75Z"></path> </svg> <span>@NIDDKgov</span> </div> </address> <div class="live-chat"> <h3>Chat</h3> <div class="footer-live-chat"> <niddk-chatbadge lang="en"></niddk-chatbadge> <div> Live Chat Available<br /> 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET<br /> Monday - Friday </div> </div> </div> <div class="follow-us"> <h3> <a href="/news/follow-us">Follow Us</a> </h3> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-institute-of-diabetes-and-digestive-and-kidney-diseases-niddk" class="linkedin" title="Follow NIDDK on LinkedIn" itemprop="sameAs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LinkedIn</a> <a href="https://x.com/NIDDKgov" class="x-social" title="Follow NIDDK on X" itemprop="sameAs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">X</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NIDDKgov" class="facebook" title="Like NIDDK on Facebook" itemprop="sameAs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/NIDDKgov" class="youtube" title="Subscribe to NIDDK on YouTube" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/niddkgov" class="instagram" title="Follow NIDDK on Instagram" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a> </div> </div> </div> </section><p class="grid tagline">NIH… Turning Discovery Into Health ®</p> <div class="sub-footer"> <div class="grid"> <div role="region" aria-label="Policy links"> <ul class="horizontal-links"> <li><a href="/privacy-policy">Privacy Policy</a></li> <li><a href="/freedom-information-act">Freedom of Information Act</a></li> <li><a href="/accessibility">Accessibility</a></li> <li><a href="/disclaimers">Disclaimers</a></li> <li><a href="/copyright">Copyright</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.hhs.gov/vulnerability-disclosure-policy/index.html">Vulnerability Disclosure Policy</a></li> </ul> </div> <div role="region" aria-label="Utility links"> <ul class="horizontal-links"> <li><a href="/site-map">Site Map</a></li> <li><a href="https://intranet.niddk.nih.gov/SitePages/Home.aspx" rel="nofollow">For Staff Only</a></li> <li><a href="https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USNIDDK/subscriber/new">Get Email Updates</a></li> </ul> </div> <div role="region" aria-label="Related government sites"> <ul class="horizontal-links"> <li> <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/"> <span>U.S. Department of Health and Human Services</span> </a> </li> <li itemprop="memberOf" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/GovernmentOrganization"> <a href="https://www.nih.gov/" itemprop="url"> <span itemprop="name">National Institutes of Health</span> </a> <meta itemprop="alternateName" content="NIH" /> </li> </ul> </div> <niddk-chatcontrol href-on="/System/start-chat" src-en="/chatbeacon/NIDDK/1/scripts/chatbeacon.js?accountId=1&siteId=1&queueId=1&m=0&i=1&b=1&c=1&theme=frame" src-es="/chatbeacon/NIDDK/1/scripts/chatbeacon.js?accountId=1&siteId=1&queueId=4&m=0&i=1&b=1&c=1&theme=frame" statuslinkid="_lcstatuslink"></niddk-chatcontrol> </div> </div> <iframe src="https://www.niddk.nih.gov/Dictionary/P/peritonitis?tracking=true" style="height:0;width:0;visibility:hidden;display:none;" aria-hidden="true"></iframe> <iframe style="height:0;width:0;visibility:hidden;display:none;" src="about:blank" aria-hidden="true"></iframe> </footer> <div class="page-mask"></div> </div> <script src="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/deps/jquery.min.js" defer></script> <script src="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/deps/slick-carousel/slick.min.js" defer></script> <script src="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/deps/jquery-scrolltabs/jquery.scrolltabs.min.js" defer></script> <script src="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/deps/magnific-popup/jquery.magnific-popup.min.js" defer></script> <script src="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/deps/tablesaw/tablesaw.jquery.min.js" defer></script> <script src="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/scripts/niddk-main.js" defer></script> <script src="/_ux/niddk/9.35.0/scripts/modules/live-chat.js" type="module"></script> <meta itemprop="image" content="https://www.niddk.nih.gov/-/media/Images/Components/Default-Social-Media-Images/Definition-Card-updated.png" /> </body> </html>