First Aid

Potential Emergency Situations and Conditions

Gallstones

About Gallstones

There are two types of gallstones: cholesterol stones and pigment stones. Eighty percent of gallstones are cholesterol stones. The size of gallstones varies from a grain of salt to golf-ball size. A person can develop a single stone or several hundred.

What are gallstones?

Gallstones form when bile stored in the gallbladder hardens into stone-like material. Too much cholesterol, bile salts, or bilirubin (bile pigment) can cause gallstones.

When gallstones are present in the gallbladder itself, it is called cholelithiasis. When gallstones are present in the bile ducts, it is called choledocholithias. Gallstones that obstruct bile ducts can lead to a severe or life-threatening infection of the bile ducts, pancreas, or liver. Bile ducts can also be obstructed by cancer or trauma.

What causes gallstones?

Cholesterol stones are believed to form when bile contains too much cholesterol, too much bilirubin, not enough bile salts, or when the gallbladder does not empty as it should for some other reason.

Pigment stones tend to develop in people who have cirrhosis, biliary tract infections, and hereditary blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia. The causes of these stones are uncertain.

What are the symptoms of gallstones?

At first, most gallstones do not cause symptoms. However, when gallstones become larger, or when they begin obstructing bile ducts, symptoms or "attacks" begin to occur. Attacks of gallstones usually occur after a fatty meal and at night. The following are the most common symptoms of gallstones. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:

steady, severe pain in the upper abdomen that increases rapidly and may last from 30 minutes to several hours
pain in the back between the shoulder blades
pain in the right shoulder
nausea
vomiting
fever
chills
jaundice
abdominal bloating
intolerance of fatty foods
belching or gas
indigestion

Persons who experience the following symptoms should consult their physician immediately:

sweating
chills
low-grade fever
yellowish color of the skin or whites of the eyes
clay-colored stools

Some people with gallstones do not present any symptoms. These stones are called "silent stones," as they do not interfere with the function of the gallbladder, liver, or pancreas, and do not require treatment in most cases.

The symptoms of gallstones may resemble other conditions or medical problems such as heart attack, appendicitis, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, hiatal hernia, pancreatitis, or hepatitis. Consult a physician for diagnosis.

Who is affected by gallstones?

What is a risk factor?

A risk factor is anything that may increase a person's chance of developing a disease. It may be an activity, such as smoking, diet, family history, or many other things.

Different diseases, including cancers, have different risk factors. Although these risk factors increase a person's risk, they do not necessarily cause the disease.

Some people with one or more risk factors never develop the disease, while others develop disease and have no known risk factors. But, knowing your risk factors to any disease can help to guide you into the appropriate actions, including changing behaviors and being clinically monitored for the disease.

The following are suggested risk factors for gallstones:

obesity - a major risk factor for gallstones, especially in women.
estrogen - excess estrogen from pregnancy, hormone replacement therapy or birth control pills appears to increase cholesterol levels in bile and decrease gallbladder movement, both of which can lead to gallstones.
ethnicity - Native Americans have the highest rates of gallstones in this country and seem to have a genetic predisposition to secrete high levels of cholesterol in bile.
gender - women between the ages of 20 and 60 years are twice as likely to develop gallstones as men.
age - people over 60 are more likely to develop gallstones than younger people.
cholesterol-lowering drugs - drugs that lower cholesterol in blood can actually increase the amount of cholesterol secreted in bile, which in turn increases the risk of gallstones.
diabetes - people with diabetes generally have high levels of fatty acids called triglycerides, which increase the risk of gallstones.
rapid weight loss - as the body metabolizes fat during rapid weight loss, it causes the liver to secrete extra cholesterol into bile, which can cause gallstones.
fasting - decreases gallbladder movement, which causes the bile to become over-concentrated with cholesterol.

How are gallstones diagnosed?

In some cases, symptom-less gallstones are discovered by accident -- during another diagnosis. However, when pain persists, your physician may want to conduct a complete medical history and medical examination, in addition to the following diagnostic procedures for gallstones:

ultrasound - a diagnostic technique which uses high-frequency sound waves to create an image of the internal organs.
cholecystography - x-ray that shows the flow of contrast fluid through the intestines into the gallbladder.
blood tests - may be used to look for signs of infection, obstruction, jaundice, and/or pancreatitis.
computerized tomography (CT or CAT scan) - a non-invasive procedure that takes cross-sectional images of the brain and other internal organs; to detect any abnormalities that may not show up on an ordinary x-ray.
endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) - this procedure involves inserting an endoscope (viewing tube) through the stomach and into the small intestine. A special dye injected during this procedures shows the ducts in the biliary system.
sphincterotomy - opening the muscle sphincter, a ring of muscle around a natural opening that acts like a valve, wide enough so stones can pass into the intestine

Treatment for gallstones:

If the gallstones cause no symptoms, treatment usually is not necessary. However, if pain persists, your physician will determine treatment based on:

your overall health and medical history
extent of the disease
your tolerance of specific medicines, procedures, or therapies
expectations for the course of the disease
your opinion or preference

Treatment for gallstones may include:

gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy) - once removed, the bile flows directly from the liver to the small intestine. Side effects of this may include diarrhea, because the bile is no longer stored in the gallbladder.
oral dissolution therapy - drugs made from bile acid are used to dissolve the stones.
methyl-tert-butyl ether - a solution injected into the gallbladder to dissolve stones.
extracoporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) - a procedure that uses shock waves to break stones up into tiny pieces that can pass through the bile ducts without causing blockages.
contact dissolution therapy - an experimental procedure that involves injecting a drug directly into the gallbladder to dissolve the stones.

This page was last updated on: January 25, 2008.

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