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.