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Cirrhosis and heart failure are common causes of ascites. The serum-ascites albumin gradient (SAAG) is usually ≥1.1 g/dL in both conditions, and the ascites protein level is generally ≥2.5 g/dL with heart failure and <2.5 g/dL with cirrhosis. Although history, physical examination, echocardiography, laboratory testing, and abdominal imaging eventually identify the cause of ascites in most patients, the cause sometimes is unclear initially. In this study from Brazil, researchers examined whether the concentration of serum B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) could discriminate between heart failure and cirrhosis as the cause of new-onset ascites in 218 patients. Patients with clear evidence of both heart failure and chronic liver disease were ex…