Typical Symptoms
Gallbladder disease is comprised of a host of conditions affecting the gallbladder.
The gallbladder aids in the digestion of fat by concentrating and storing a substance produced by the liver calledbile.
The most common cause of gallbladder is gallstones, also known ascholelithiasis.
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Gallstones are extremely common, affecting between 10% to 15% of the U.S. population.
Gallstones are hardened clumps of minerals that are usually passed without incidence.
The obstruction, calledcholestasis, causes muscles of the bile duct to spasm uncontrollably.
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The pain because of the blockage is referred to asbiliary colic.
The pain from a gallstone attack can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.
The pain may also be steady or intermittent and is often triggered by eating a high-fat meal.
Get our printable guide for your next doctor’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
As inflammation builds, one of the common symptoms is fever, generally low-grade.
In order the get rid of the noxious trigger, the body will induce involuntary contractions to causevomiting.
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Bile is composed of several compounds, one of which is a yellowish pigment calledbilirubin.
Under normal circumstances, bilirubin is flushed out of the body with stool (poop).
Along with jaundice, the build-up of bilirubin (hyperbilirubinemia) can cause your urine to turn dark.
These complications can cause a worsening of gallbladder symptoms as well as new ones.
Pancreatitis can also cause middle abdominal pain, along with severe pain that spreads to the back or chest.
Gangrenous cholecystitis can also cause high fever with chills.
This can lead to gas and bloating as the contents start to ferment.
The same can occur with gallstone ileus and advanced gallbladder cancer.
Itching
Pruritus(itching) can occur with gallbladder disease.
The same can occur when gallbladder cancer spreads (metastasizes) to the liver.
The lack of these enzymes can causemalabsorption.
This can cause intestinal pain with intermittent (and frequently explosive) bouts of watery diarrhea.
This can lead to a condition called gas gangrene in which gases build beneath the surface of the skin.
Get our printable guide for your next doctor’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
Gallstones are by far the most common gallbladder disease.
It is not uncommon for these symptoms to be mistaken for other medical conditions.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Definition & facts for gallstones.
American Cancer Society.Signs and symptoms of gallbladder cancer.
Dayal N, Meseeha.
2008 Dec;88(6):1345-68.
