Symptoms:

• Abdominal fullness or gas
• Abdominal pain that is:
  • Severe
  • Located on the right side (right upper quadrant) or in the upper middle of the abdomen (epigastric)
  • Decreased over 12 to 18 hours in uncomplicated cases
  • Recurrent or similar to pain in past
  • Occurring after meals
  • Worse during deep intake of breath
  • Radiating to back or below the right shoulder blade
  • Worse after eating or drinking fatty foods or fluids
• Chest pain under the breastbone
• Chills and shaking
• Fever
• Heartburn
• Nausea and vomiting

Signs and tests:

The abdomen is tender to the touch.

Tests that detect gallstones or inflammation include:

• Abdominal CT scan
• Abdominal ultrasound
• Abdominal x-ray
• A CBC shows infection by an elevated white blood cell count

This disease may also alter the results of the following tests:

• Amylase
• Amylase, urine
• Chemistry panel (chem-20)
• Lipase