Gallstones Symptoms

Signs and Symptoms of gallstones

Gallstones pain

About 75 percent of these patients who have gallstones (here specifically refers to gallbladder stones) show no symptoms. If symptoms occur, they are often initially rather unspecific. Especially after high fat meals, abdominal pain come in the right upper quadrant, often associated with bloating, flatulence and nausea. The gallbladder is easily irritated, the symptoms resemble those of a gastritis and may therefore be confused quickly. With a stronger stimulation, gallbladder pain may radiate to the back and right shoulder.

When the gallstones begin to migrate, that may intensify the symptoms. The bile ducts partially become inflamed or blocked by the gall stones. A gallstone blocks the cystic duct (a short duct as the neck of the gallbladder, and extending to the bile duct) or the common bile duct, and therefore it comes to a so-called biliary colic. The muscles in the wall of the bile ducts, will contract in order to push bile, as well as gallstones. Therefore that continues to carry the gallstone.

Cause of the symptoms can be

Sometimes, in the following days, a slight jaundice occurs. The stools of the patients are often discolored, because of the closure of the biliary bile, bile pigments are missing in the stool. Also, the so-called fat diarrhea often occurs, because of the lack of bile, fat breakdown (fat degradation) is interrupted. When you get fat diarrhea, in some cases, large quantities of unsplit fat are located the diarrheal stool.

Very unpleasant symptoms are biliary colic, which is caused by gallstones blocking the bile duct and gall bladder. In this case you suffer from severe pain, especially under the right rib cage. The pain can also radiate to the shoulder.

Biliary colic also develops from gall bladder inflammation without gallstones.

In severe gall bladder inflammation, the gallbladder can rupture into the abdominal cavity or form a fistula to the intestine, then gallstones are emptied.

Due to long-standing gallstones, gallbladder cancer may develop by the constant irritation of the gallbladder bile.


Article From: Gallstonessymptoms.net
Created: 2011-12-02
Last update: 2012-01-20