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Gallbladder
Disease
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Inflammation of the
gallbladder (cholecystitis) secondary to gallstone formation (cholelithiasis)
is quite common in the U.S. By age 65, 10% of men and 20% of women
have gallstones. Most are cholesterol stones associated with obesity
and rapid weight loss. Stones are also seen in people with hemolytic
anemias such as sickle cell disease. Stones are not always
symptomatic and surgery is usually not recommended for their mere
presence. If a gallstone gets wedged in the outflow duct of the
gallbladder, however, it produces biliary colic, a severe crampy
pain in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. |
This pain may
radiate to the back or chest and is often associated with bloating
and nausea. The symptoms may be very similar to those produced by an
acute heart condition and frequently bring the patient to the
Emergency Room. The most severe attacks of acute cholecystitis are
complicated by infection in the gallbladder, which can lead to its
rupture unless intervention is prompt. Gallstones may also pass from
the gallbladder into the main channel (common bile duct) leading
from the liver into the intestine. This can produce jaundice from
backup of bile into the bloodstream. It can also produce an acute
inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). The goal of gallbladder
surgery is to
intervene before these complications can occur.
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