INTRODUCTION: Gallstones are pieces of hard solid material located in the gallbladder and may be as little as a grain of sand or as big as a golf ball, depending on how long they have been forming. They frequently have no symptoms and are often uncovered by a routine x-ray, surgery, or autopsy.
Gallstones also may move about within bile, for example, from the gallbladder into the cystic or common duct. They are a common health problem worldwide and occur more frequently in women than men becoming more common with age in both sexes. More than 20 million Americans have them and approximately one million new cases are diagnosed each year.
SYMPTOMS: Gallstones may feel like chest pain caused by a heart attack and other serious problems. Symptoms usually start after a large stone blocks the cystic duct or the common bile duct and usually do not return after the gallbladder has been removed. About 80% of people do not have any symptoms for many years, if ever, particularly if the stones remain in the gallbladder.
If you have symptoms, you most likely will have mild pain in the pit of your stomach or in the upper right part of your belly. About 15% of people who have symptoms also have stones in the common bile duct.
Exactly how diet causes gallstone formation is not understood, but diets which are above normal in cholesterol and fat, and low in fiber may raise the risk of developing Them.
There are two basic types of gallstones. Pigmented (bilirubin) kinds are found most often in Persons with severe liver disease and persons with some blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia.
Cholesterol types are found most frequently in: Females over 20, especially pregnant women, and males over 60 years old, Persons on "crash diets" who lose a lot of weight rapidly, Patients who use certain drugs including birth control pills and cholesterol reducing agents, Native-Americans and Mexican-Americans.
TREATMENTS: Gallstones that do not produce symptoms do not need treatment, But if they block a duct, they do. Surgery to remove the gallbladder (cholecystectomy) is the option of choice for stones that produce moderate to severe pain or other symptoms. However, only one of five people can have this treatment. Those who have it frequently form new stones after a few years. Half of these need treatment, with a cost to society of several billion dollars annually.
Many new approaches to treatment have been tested over the past several years, however surgical removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy) is still the most widely used therapy. Non-surgical treatment includes pain medicines, antibiotics to fight infection, and a low-fat diet (when food can be tolerated).
A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical problems.
CONCLUSION: Gallstones usually form in the gallbladder; but, they also may form anywhere there is bile: in the intrahepatic, hepatic, common bile, and cystic ducts. They form when cholesterol and other materials found in bile create stones.
They can develop in many people without producing symptoms and do not create belching and bloating. Gallstones usually happen in adults between the ages of 20 and 50, and are more common in females in this age group.
Gallstones also may move about within bile, for example, from the gallbladder into the cystic or common duct. They are a common health problem worldwide and occur more frequently in women than men becoming more common with age in both sexes. More than 20 million Americans have them and approximately one million new cases are diagnosed each year.
SYMPTOMS: Gallstones may feel like chest pain caused by a heart attack and other serious problems. Symptoms usually start after a large stone blocks the cystic duct or the common bile duct and usually do not return after the gallbladder has been removed. About 80% of people do not have any symptoms for many years, if ever, particularly if the stones remain in the gallbladder.
If you have symptoms, you most likely will have mild pain in the pit of your stomach or in the upper right part of your belly. About 15% of people who have symptoms also have stones in the common bile duct.
Exactly how diet causes gallstone formation is not understood, but diets which are above normal in cholesterol and fat, and low in fiber may raise the risk of developing Them.
There are two basic types of gallstones. Pigmented (bilirubin) kinds are found most often in Persons with severe liver disease and persons with some blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia.
Cholesterol types are found most frequently in: Females over 20, especially pregnant women, and males over 60 years old, Persons on "crash diets" who lose a lot of weight rapidly, Patients who use certain drugs including birth control pills and cholesterol reducing agents, Native-Americans and Mexican-Americans.
TREATMENTS: Gallstones that do not produce symptoms do not need treatment, But if they block a duct, they do. Surgery to remove the gallbladder (cholecystectomy) is the option of choice for stones that produce moderate to severe pain or other symptoms. However, only one of five people can have this treatment. Those who have it frequently form new stones after a few years. Half of these need treatment, with a cost to society of several billion dollars annually.
Many new approaches to treatment have been tested over the past several years, however surgical removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy) is still the most widely used therapy. Non-surgical treatment includes pain medicines, antibiotics to fight infection, and a low-fat diet (when food can be tolerated).
A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical problems.
CONCLUSION: Gallstones usually form in the gallbladder; but, they also may form anywhere there is bile: in the intrahepatic, hepatic, common bile, and cystic ducts. They form when cholesterol and other materials found in bile create stones.
They can develop in many people without producing symptoms and do not create belching and bloating. Gallstones usually happen in adults between the ages of 20 and 50, and are more common in females in this age group.
About the Author:
About The Author: Richard H. Ealom is the Author of this article and the writer of "Free Articles On Diseases: How To Prevent and Cure Them". Need more Facts Please visit us at our websites@Diabetes & Cancer Secrets OR Go To Heart Disease & Obesity Secrets. You are allowed to reprint this article provided this box is left unaltered.
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