Causes—
Cholesterol Stones
- Obesity(specially in women)
- Pregnancy
- Hormonal therapy,(specially estrogen)
- Rapid loss of weight
- High triglycerides(as in diabetes),bilirubin
- Less bile salts
- Crohn’s disease
- Fasting
- Anti-cholesterol drugs(increase cholesterol in bile)
Pigment Stones
- Cirrhosis
- Biliary tract infections(brown pigment stones)
- Hereditary blood disorders (black pigment stones)
- Residual bile in gall bladder(due to poor muscle tone)
Symptoms And Signs–
General
- Pain
- Steady gripping or gnawing severe pain in the upper right abdomen near the rib cage, radiating to the upper back.
- Changing position, taking over-the-counter pain relievers, and passing gas do not relieve the pain
- Pain typically occur at the same time of day
- Dark urine, lighter stools, or both
- Fever, chills
- Jaundice
- Nausea or vomiting
- Rapid heartbeat and abrupt blood pressure drop
Acute cholecystitis
- Pain in the upper right abdomen is severe and constant
- Pain last for days.
- Pain frequently increases with inspiration
- Pain may also radiate to the back or occur under the shoulder blades, behind the breast bone, or on the left side.
- Fever and chills
Chronic Cholecystitis
- gas
- nausea
- abdominal discomfort after meals
- Chronic diarrhea (4 – 10 bowel movements every day for at least 3 months).
Investigations—
- Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)
- Magnetic resonance cholangio-pancreatography (MRCP)
- Cholescintigraphy (HIDA scan
- Oral cholecystogram (OCG)
- Intravenous cholangiogram (IVC)
Treatment-
- Ayurvedic medicines relieves the pain and other symptoms in 1-2 days. It takes nearly 4-5 months to get rid of gall stones depending on the size, number and location of gall stones.
- Surgical
- Laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
- If gallstones are in the bile ducts, ERCP with endoscopic sphincterotomy is performed.
Complications–
- Pancreatitis
- Gangrene
- Perforation of the gallbladder