What are gallstones?
People who experience symptoms of gallstone disease usually require immediate treatment. One treatment for gallstones is surgery to remove the gallbladder. However, if gallstones do not cause signs or symptoms, gallstone treatment is usually not needed.
Gallstones are hardened deposits of digestive fluid that can form in the gallbladder. The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of the abdomen, just below the liver. The gallbladder holds a digestive fluid called bile that is released into the small intestine.
Gallstones range in size from as small as a grain of sand to as large as a golf ball. Some people may have just one gallstone, while others develop many at the same time.
Symptoms of Gallstone Disease
In some people, gallstones may not cause any signs or symptoms. If gallstones become lodged in a duct and cause a blockage, signs and symptoms may include:
- Sudden, rapidly increasing pain in the upper right side of the abdomen.
- Sudden, rapidly increasing pain in the center of the abdomen, just below the breastbone.
- Back pain between the shoulder blades.
- Pain in the right shoulder.
- Nausea or vomiting.
- Gallstone pain can last from a few minutes to several hours.
Call your doctor right away if you have any worrying signs or symptoms, such as:
- The stomach pain is so severe that you can’t sit still or find a comfortable position.
- Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes or jaundice.
- High fever and chills.
Causes of Gallstone Disease
Unfortunately, it’s not clear what causes gallstones to form. Experts think gallstones may occur when:
- Bile contains too much cholesterol. Normally, bile contains enough chemicals to dissolve the cholesterol excreted by the liver. However, if the liver excretes more cholesterol than the bile can dissolve, the excess cholesterol can form crystals and eventually stones.
- Bile contains too much bilirubin. The body produces bilirubin when it breaks down red blood cells. Certain conditions cause the liver to make too much bilirubin, including cirrhosis of the liver, bile duct infections, and certain blood disorders. Excess bilirubin contributes to the formation of gallstones.
- Gallbladder not emptying properly. If the gallbladder does not empty completely, the bile can become very concentrated, and this contributes to the formation of gallstones.
In addition, there are several types of gallstones that can form in the gallbladder, including:
- Cholesterol Gallstones. The most common type of gallstone, cholesterol gallstones, often appear yellow. They are composed of insoluble cholesterol but may contain other components.
- Pigment Gallstones. These dark brown or black gallstones form when bile contains too much bilirubin.
Gallstone Risk Factors
There are several factors that can increase the risk of gallstones, including:
- Woman.
- Aged 40 or older.
- Being of Native American and Hispanic-Mexican descent.
- Being overweight or obese.
- Not moving much.
- Is pregnant.
- Often eat high-fat foods.
- Consuming excessive foods high in cholesterol.
- Eat low-fiber foods frequently.
- Have a family history of gallstones.
- Having diabetes.
- Having certain blood disorders, such as sickle cell anemia or leukemia.
- Lose weight very fast.
- Taking medications that contain estrogen, such as oral contraceptives or hormone therapy drugs.
- Have liver disease.
Gallstone Diagnosis
The doctor will perform a physical exam that includes examining the eyes and skin for color changes. A yellowish color may be a sign of jaundice, caused by too much bilirubin in the body.
Other tests may involve using diagnostic tests that help the doctor see inside the body. Some tests that the doctor may perform include:
- Ultrasound. Ultrasound produces images of the abdomen. It is the imaging method of choice to determine if you have gallstones. It can also show abnormalities associated with acute cholecystitis.
- Abdominal CT Scan. This imaging test takes pictures of the liver and abdominal area.
- Gallbladder Radionuclide Scan. This important scan takes about an hour. A specialist injects a radioactive substance into a vein and the substance travels through the blood to the liver and gallbladder. The scan can reveal evidence of infection or blockage of the bile duct from stones.
- Blood Tests. Your doctor may also order a blood test that measures the amount of bilirubin in your blood.
Gallstone Treatment
In most cases, people do not need gallstone treatment unless the condition causes pain. However, can gallstones pass on their own? The answer is yes.
Sometimes patients can pass gallstones without realizing it. However, if the sufferer is in pain, the doctor will likely recommend gallstone treatment with surgery.
In rare cases, your doctor may also recommend medication. Here is an explanation of gallstone treatments that you can undergo. Based on non-surgical and surgical procedures:
1. Non-Surgical Treatment
If surgery is not appropriate for an individual’s condition, such as if the patient is a much older individual, there are several other ways that doctors can try to get rid of gallstones, including:
- Oral dissolution therapy. This procedure usually involves using the medications ursodiol and chenodiol to break up gallstones. These medications contain bile acids, which work to break up the stones. This treatment works best for breaking up cholesterol stones and can take months or years to work fully.
- Shockwave lithotripsy. This procedure involves a lithotripter, a machine that produces shock waves that pass through a person. These shock waves can break up gallstones into smaller pieces.
- Percutaneous gallbladder drainage. This procedure involves placing a sterile needle into the gallbladder to aspirate (remove) bile. The doctor will then insert a tube to help with additional drainage.
2. Surgery
Cholecystectomy, which is surgery to remove the gallbladder. Because the gallbladder is not an essential organ, you can live a healthy life without it.
There are two types of cholecystectomy:
- Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy. In the procedure, the surgeon will usually make three or four incisions in the abdomen. Then the doctor will insert a small lighted device into one of the incisions, check for stones, and carefully remove the gallbladder.
- Open Cholecystectomy. This surgery is usually performed by doctors when the gallbladder is inflamed, infected, or injured. This surgery can also occur if problems occur during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
What Can’t People With Gallstones Eat?
In addition to undergoing proper gallstone treatment, sufferers also need to avoid consuming certain foods.
Such as fatty foods, fast food, and processed foods such as smoked meat, foods in coconut milk, processed carbohydrates and sugar, fried foods, and high-fat milk.
Can Gallstones Be Treated Without Surgery?
Gallstone disease can be cured without surgery or not depending on the severity of the disease and the health condition of the sufferer.
However, not all sufferers can undergo surgery to remove gallstones due to medical history or other conditions.
If you are at high risk for surgical complications, there are several non-surgical ways to try to treat gallstones.
Can Gallstones Recur After Surgery?
Many people often ask whether gallstones can recur after surgery. The answer is yes, even gallstones can recur after gallbladder removal surgery.
The symptoms or indications of gallstone recurrence are similar to the symptoms when gallstones first appear.
Gallstone Prevention
You can reduce your risk of gallstones by doing several things, such as:
- Don’t skip meals. Try to stick to regular meal times each day. Skipping meals or fasting can increase your risk of gallstones.
- Lose weight slowly. If you need to lose weight, do it slowly. Rapid weight loss can increase the risk of gallstones. Aim to lose 1 or 2 pounds (about 0.5 to 1 kilogram) a week.
- Increase your intake of high-fiber foods. Include more fiber-rich foods in your daily intake, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. You can find recommendations for high-fiber foods in the article: 6 Best Fiber Foods for Health.
- Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity and being overweight increase your risk of gallstones. Work toward a healthy weight by reducing the number of calories you eat and increasing the amount of physical activity you get.
Complications of Gallstone Disease
Complications of gallstones may include:
- Gallbladder inflammation. Gallstones that become lodged in the neck of the gallbladder can cause inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis). Cholecystitis can cause severe pain and fever.
- Bile duct obstruction. Gallstones can block the tube (duct) through which bile flows from the gallbladder or liver to the small intestine. Severe pain, jaundice, and bile duct infection can occur with this condition.
- Pancreatic duct obstruction. The pancreatic duct is a tube that runs from the pancreas and connects to the bile duct just before it enters the duodenum. Pancreatic juices, which aid digestion, drain through the pancreatic duct. Gallstones can cause a blockage in the pancreatic duct, which can lead to inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). Pancreatitis causes intense, constant abdominal pain and usually requires hospitalization.
- Gallbladder cancer. People with a history of gallstones have an increased risk of gallbladder cancer. However, this cancer is very rare.