Gallbladder disease includes cholelithiasis and cholecystitis, causing pain, nausea, and vomiting. Chronic symptoms can occur without gallstones, while acute symptoms require hospitalization. Jaundice can also be a symptom, but not all cases require gallbladder removal.
Gallbladder disease can refer to certain conditions that affect the gallbladder. The most common types of gallbladder disease and disorder occur when people have gallstones or when the gallbladder becomes inflamed. These are called cholelithiasis and cholecystitis, respectively. Also, with cholecystitis, the condition can be chronic, long-lasting, or acute, short-lived. Acute episodes can be part of a chronic condition.
There are several indications of chronic gallbladder disease that may or may not occur with gallstones. One indication is pain, which is often felt in the upper right side of the abdomen, usually just below the lower ribs. People might also have pain that feels in the shoulder. The pain may be felt for about an hour and may wax and wane and may be accompanied by gas, nausea, and vomiting. It typically occurs after eating, especially after eating high-fat foods.
In acute forms of cholecystitis, the pain is more pronounced but still felt in the same place, in the upper right side of the abdomen, and can get worse when people move around. There is usually a temperature. Some people have chills, shaking, nausea, vomiting, and even pain in the center of their stomach or chest. These symptoms could indicate ongoing gallbladder disease or the presence of infection in the gallbladder and usually require hospitalization for pain relief and diagnosis. Symptoms typically last about 12-24 hours and are very severe. An acute episode of gallbladder disease can occur soon after a meal and is usually associated with consuming foods high in fat.
Another symptom of ongoing gallbladder disease can be jaundice. When the whites of the eyes and skin have a yellow tinge, this suggests improper function of the liver, an organ with which the gallbladder works cooperatively. Jaundice can indicate gallbladder disorders or other conditions and it is always important to have this symptom investigated if it occurs.
People assume that gallbladder disease will always require removal of the gallbladder. This is not the case. Avoiding fatty foods and changing diets in general helps some people. Other people have true gallbladder infections and may require antibiotics to reduce inflammation. It is true that some individuals will need gallbladder surgery if they experience many acute gallbladder attacks and/or if gallstones are present creating acute or chronic inflammation. Removing gallstones usually doesn’t work because they have a tendency to come back.
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