Cholelithiasis (or gallstones) are solid small objects that originated in the gallbladder and it is a very common condition. There are three main types of gallstones can be studied separately in the literature: Cholesterol stones, pigment stones, and mixed stones.
There is uncertainty regarding the real causes behind the formation of gallstones. However, physicians may regard the formation of gallstones to too much cholesterol in the bile, too much bilirubin in the bile, or problem in gallbladder draining. There are many factors, which can contribute to increasing the possibility of having gallstones such as overweight or obesity, being female, being sedentary, and high fat /cholesterol foods intake.
Supersaturation is recognized to be the main mechanism underlying the formation of gallstones when constituents surpass their maximum solubilities in bile.Other additional factors that may play a role in gallstone formation are nucleation factors, calcium in bile, and bile stasis within the gallbladder. Symptoms are rare in most cases of gallstones. However, sudden, severe abdominal pain, known as biliary colic can be manifested once a gallstone blocks one of the bile ducts. Other symptoms may include fever, rapid heartbeat, yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), and loss of desire to eat.
Several tests and procedures commonly used to diagnose gallstones may include creating pictures of the gallbladder by using ultrasound and a computerized tomography (CT) scan, checking the bile ducts for gallstones by Hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and blood tests that may help detect the presence of jaundice, infection, pancreatitis or other certain complications associated with gallstones. Treatment options for gallstones mainly include surgery (to remove gallbladder) and medications to dissolve the gallstones.
Complications of gallstones may include cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder), blockage of the common bile duct, blockage of the pancreatic duct, gallbladder cancer, and gallstone ileus. Though the studies still immature, changes to the diet and losing weight may be recommended to prevent gallstones. It is very rare for the asymptomatic gallstones to lead to any significant problems. Death is very rare even for symptomatic gallstones.
According to a study published in the journal of hepatology, gallstones or cholelithiasis are a major public health concern in Europe and other developed countries and affect up to 20% of the population.Also, about 80% of gallstones carriers are diagnosed without appearing symptoms. However, the incidence of gallstones increases with age and it is higher in women than in men.
Cholelithiasis (or gallstones) are solid particles that originated in the gallbladder and it is a very common condition in the population. Gallstones vary in size and dimension.It sometimes can take the size of a golf ball. Sudden pain in the upper right abdomen can be caused by the formation of gallstones. Gallbladder attack or biliary colic are the names that given to this pain and this pain appear when gallstones narrow the ducts of the biliary tract. Some people are vulnerable to develop just one gallstone, while many gallstones can be found at the same time in many people.
There are three main types of gallstones that can be studied separately in the literature:
There is uncertainty in the medical literature regarding the real causes behind the formation of gallstones. Healthcare providers may consider the following causes of gallstones:
There are many factors which can increase the possibility of having gallstones. The followings are some of those factors according to various studies:
Cholelithiasis is the process when gallstone formed in the gallbladder (biliary vesicle). It is known to happen in a slow pace, and most of the time it generates no pain or other certain symptoms. In general, most of gallstones are either the cholesterol or mixed type. There is variation in gallstones size. Some of these stones can range from millimeters to several centimeters. Supersaturation is recognized to be the main mechanism underlying the formation of gallstones when constituents surpass their maximum solubilities in bile. Other additional factors that may play a role in gallstone formation are nucleation factors, calcium in bile, and bile stasis within the gallbladder.
Cholesterol is the major substance, forming about 70% of gallstones. Another type named pigment stones (black or brown) is also very common and encompass the remaining 30% of stones. In addition, a mixture of the two gallstone types can be observed in many cases.
Symptoms are rare in most cases of gallstones. However, sudden, severe abdominal pain, known as biliary colic can be manifested once a gallstone blocks one of the bile ducts. The pain generated by gallstones can be triggered sometimes by eating fatty foods, but may occur at any time of day and may be mistaken for a heart attack or a peptic ulcer. More critical problems can occur in case the gallstones block the flow of bile for longer periods or move into other organs such as the pancreas or small bowel. If someone reaches this stage, one of the following signs and symptoms may appear:
Around 60-80% of gallstone cases remain asymptomatic throughout a one’s lifetime and could be discovered by a pure chance when imaging tests are conducted to uncover other health issues. The remaining 20-40% of gallstones cases are either symptomatic or asymptomatic with the development of complications.
Some of the tests and procedures that commonly used to diagnose gallstones could include:
Treatment options for gallstones mainly include surgery and medications:
Complications of gallstones may include:
Based on the limited evidence based-studies that available regarding prevention of gallstones, changes to the diet and losing weight may help prevent gallstones:
Surgery can easily treat most cases of gallstone disease. Life-threatening conditions only exist in very critical cases especially in people who suffer already from poor health status.
It is very rare for the asymptomatic gallstones to lead to any significant problems. Death is very rare even for symptomatic gallstones. Critical complications are also rare. However, in case they occur, stones in the bile duct or surgery are the possible sources of the complications. Symptoms do not appear again in nearly all people who have gallbladder surgery.