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The gallbladder secretes bile to digest fat, but can become diseased due to gallstones. Symptoms include pain, nausea, and jaundice. Risk factors include obesity, high cholesterol, and family history. Treatment includes pain medication and a low-fat diet, but severe cases may require surgery.
The gallbladder is a small organ located under the liver. When you eat fat, your gallbladder secretes bile into your stomach to help digest the fat. Sometimes, the gallbladder can become diseased due to the development of gallstones, which are small, solid lumps of calcium mixed with cholesterol and bile salts. Signs and symptoms of gallbladder disease can include fever, nausea, pain, and jaundice.
Gallstones and gallbladder disease can occur in people of all ages. However, some groups of people are more at risk. These include obese people, people with raised blood cholesterol, people with chronic inflammatory diseases of the digestive system, women taking estrogen, and people with a family history of gallstones.
The common symptoms of gallbladder disease can vary widely. In some cases, gallstones may not cause any symptoms; in these situations the stones are usually discovered during diagnostic tests done for unrelated reasons and may not require treatment. There are two different symptom patterns of gallbladder disease. These are called chronic cholecystitis and acute cholecystitis.
Chronic cholecystitis, also called biliary colic, is chronic inflammation of the gallbladder that can cause severe pain and other symptoms. These signs of gallbladder disease include pain, nausea, vomiting, and flatulence. The pain typically appears on the right side of the body just below the rib cage but can spread to the shoulder. The pain may increase in severity over the course of an hour and persist for several hours. These symptoms are often triggered when fatty foods are eaten.
Acute cholecystitis is caused by a sudden and severe infection or inflammation of the gallbladder. Gallbladder disease symptoms common to this condition include pain under the rib cage on the right side of the body and high temperature. Moving or coughing often makes the pain worse. This type of gallbladder disease isn’t always caused by gallstones. If the cause is an infection, the standard treatment is antibiotics. In very severe cases, gallbladder removal surgery may be required.
Jaundice can accompany acute or chronic gallbladder disease when bile flow is obstructed. The most noticeable feature of jaundice is that the skin and eyes turn yellow due to a buildup of bile pigments in the skin. The skin may itch and the stools are often pale, while the urine is darker than usual. Sometimes, people with jaundice develop chills and fever. These symptoms indicate the possibility of bile duct infection and should receive immediate medical attention.
Once they’re diagnosed, people who experience recurring symptoms of gallbladder disease can treat mild attacks at home with nonprescription pain medications. A low-fat diet can help reduce the frequency and severity of attacks. If symptoms persist for more than a few hours or are accompanied by signs of infection such as fever and chills, you should seek medical attention.
