Gallstone Disease
•
9 likes•3,047 views
Gallbladder is a small organ located under the liver. Its function is to aid in digestion of food by storing and secreting bile (a digestive juice) into the small intestine when food enters there. Gallstone Disease may develop when there is too much cholesterol or bilirubin inside gallbladder secreted by the liver. To know the signs & symptoms of Gallstone Disease. visit at http://gisurgery.info
Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (20)
Viewers also liked
Similar to Gallstone Disease
Similar to Gallstone Disease (20)
More from Sanjiv Haribhakti
More from Sanjiv Haribhakti (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Gallstone Disease
- 1. Gallstone Disease Introduction Gallbladder is a small organ located under the liver. Its function is to aid in digestion of food by storing and secreting bile (a digestive juice) into the small intestine when food enters there. Bile is a digestive fluid that is produced by the liver and is made up of several substances including cholesterol, bilirubin and bile salts. Gallstones are pieces of solid material that form in the gallbladder. Sometimes the cholesterol and pigments present in bile result in formation of hard particles. These stones range in size from tiny sand grains to large ones the size of golf balls. There are mainly two types of gallstones that can be formed inside gallbladder: Cholesterol stones: these are the most common type of gallstones, often appears yellow green in color. Almost 80% of the gallstones are cholesterol stones. Pigment Stones: it is usually formed due to the large amount of bilirubin inside gallbladder. They are dark brown or black in color. Signs & Symptoms • Sudden and rapid pain in the upper abdomen and upper back lasting several minutes to few hours • Back pain between the shoulder blades • Pain in the right shoulder • Nausea & vomiting • Other gastrointestinal problems like - Bloating, indigestion, heartburn, gas etc Causes Gallstone may develop when there is too much cholesterol or bilirubin inside gallbladder secreted by the liver. Bile usually dissolves or break down cholesterol however if the liver produces more cholesterols than the bile can dissolve it results in formation of hard stones called cholesterol gall stones. Bilirubin is a chemical that is produced when the body breaks down old red blood cells. In some cases such as cirrhosis of the liver and certain blood disorders the liver produces too much bilirubin which contributes to the gallstone formation.
- 2. If the gallbladder often fails to get empty completely the bile may becomes overly concentrated leading to formation of gallstones. Risk Factors Following are the various risk factors of developing gallstones: Age of above 40 years and female gender: gallstones are more common among women and older people Cirrhosis of liver: may cause liver to produce more cholesterol than bile can dissolve which leads to formation of cholesterol gallstones On low calorie diet that leads to rapid weight loss: if a person looses weight too quickly the liver secretes extra cholesterol which may lead to formation of gallstone. Fasting also cause the gallbladder to contract less preventing the gallbladder from emptying completely which may leads to concentrate the gallbladder content and ultimately gallstones Diabetes: diabetic people tend to have higher level of triglycerides which is a type of blood fat that increases the risk of gallstone formation Obesity: this is one of the biggest risk factor. It can cause a rise in cholesterol and also prevent gallbladder from preventing completely Estrogen: it can increase cholesterol and reduce gallbladder motility. Women who are pregnant or who take birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy have higher levels of estrogen and are more likely to develop gallstone Genetics: Having family history of gallstones increases your risk of developing gallstone Cholesterol lowering drugs: they increases the amount of cholesterol in bile increasing the chances of developing gallstone Complications If the gallstone gets lodged in the neck of the gallbladder it can cause inflammation of the gallbladder called cholecystitis which can cause severe pain and fever. Gallstones may get stuck in to any of the tubes that carries bile from gallbladder to small intestine causing blockage of common bile duct. This condition may lead to jaundice or bile duct infection. Gallstone may put you at increased risk of developing gallbladder cancer however the chances of gallbladder cancer are usually very small. Diagnosis Abdominal CT Scan: it is a digital imaging test that takes pictures of the liver and abdominal region revealing the presence of gallstone if any.
- 3. Ultrasound: this test uses ultrasonic sound waves to create image of abdominal organs which help find presence of any gallstone. Blood tests: to look for amount of bilirubin in the blood and to determine the functioning of liver. Treatment Surgery is often the first choice if there are profound symptoms of gallstone. Laparoscopic gallbladder removal is the most common surgical technique which involves insertion of two to three rod like instrument called laparoscope through tiny holes on abdomen. Drugs that dissolve gallstones caused by cholesterol can be used for those who cannot undergo surgery however these drugs may take several years to eliminate the gallstone. The risk of developing gallstone can be reduced by adopting healthy lifestyle strategies. Eat balanced diet. Avoid skipping meals. Drink sufficient amount of water every day. Eat fiber rich diet. Maintain healthy weight etc.