Gallstones are the main reason this is known small pear-shaped organ located on the right side of the belly, under the liver.
Houses bile, a fluid made in the liver It helps in the digestion of fats and certain vitamins. When you eat, the body automatically releases bile into the small intestine.
What Causes Gallbladder Stones
Gallstones appear when bile builds up and forms solid masses. These masses can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball. Likewise, you can have just one or more.
Most stones are made of hardened cholesterol. But they can also be made from bilirubin. People with cirrhosis or sickle cell disease are most likely to develop these other types of stones, called pigment stones.
Family history
Gallstones can be inherited. That is, if someone in your family has had them, your chances of having them are higher. Researchers believe that it is because certain genes have the ability to increase the amount of cholesterol in the bile.
Obesity
The body of overweight people can make more cholesterol, which increases the risk of gallstones. Obesity can also lead to an enlarged gallbladder, causing it to not work as well as it should. But there is not the same risk with all types of obesity. In this sense, the accumulation of fat in the waist is more dangerous than in other parts of the body, like the hips or thighs.
Lose weight too fast
Weight loss surgeries and very low calorie diets they can be harmful to the gallbladder. Having a rebound effect on a regular basis also increases your risk of gallbladder stones. To lose weight safely and prevent this and other health problems, experts recommend taking it easy. In this regard, one of the secrets is to lose weight gradually, leaving behind no more than 1.5 kilos a week.
Medicines and gallstones
Estrogens in Birth Control Pills and Hormone Replacement Therapies they can increase the risk of developing gallstones. Lowering high cholesterol by treating the patient with fibrates has also been linked to gallstones because they can increase the amount of cholesterol in the bile.
Diabetes
Diabetes increases the chances of gallstones. Those responsible may be elevated levels of triglycerides in the blood or a buildup of bile caused by a malfunction of the gallbladder.
What are the symptoms of gallstones
The gallbladder can become inflamed when a gallstone reaches a duct and prevents bile from flowing. This process is called cholecystitis and can lead to symptoms such as nausea, stomach pain, and vomiting.
Since these are symptoms that can be due to many other causes, to determine that problems are indeed occurring due to gallstones in the gallbladder, it is necessary to check for pain in the upper right part of the belly, which can be worse when you breathe deeply, spreading to other areas, such as the back or right shoulder blade.
Transmission
To find out if there are stones in the gallbladder, the doctor needs to do an imaging test, like an ultrasound. Ultrasound makes it possible to obtain detailed images of the gallbladder.
When the person has symptoms, a type of surgery called a laparoscopic cholecystectomy is usually used. It should be noted that you can lead a normal life without a gallbladder. The bile produced by the liver flows directly into the intestine.
There are treatments that can dissolve cholesterol stones, but they do not guarantee that they will not form again later. In the case of medications, we must add that they can take a long time to take effect.
Diet for gallstones
Eating healthy can help prevent obesity-related gallstones and sudden weight loss. Avoid very strict diets and abuse refined grains (white bread, pasta and non-wholegrain cookies ...). On the other hand, it is advisable to eat a diet rich in fiber and healthy fats (olive oil, fish ...). Choosing whole grain breads instead of white bread and brown rice instead of white can reduce the chances of this organ problems.
Is it necessary to have an operation?
Some stones never cause problems and the doctor may choose to leave them. That situation happens very often. But if the person suffers symptoms, it is highly likely that gallbladder removal will be recommended in a short period of time after the stone is detected.