The gallstones are normally made of cholesterol that develops in the gallbladder which is located below the liver. The gallbladder contains the bile that is released into the small intestine to help with the digestion. The gallstones can range in various sizes from a grain of sand to a golf ball size. This can occur as a single large stone or in clusters of tiny stones. The intensive abdominal pain known as the biliary colic can occur when the gallstones block the biliary ducts.
Causes
When a certain imbalance of the bile occurs, this can result in the development of gallstones. This happens when the bile contains excess cholesterol, too much bilirubin or not sufficient amount of bile salts. It can also develop when the content of the gallbladder is not completely emptied. There are two types of gallstones that are cholesterol stones and pigment stones. The cholesterol stones are yellow-green that mostly consists of hardened cholesterol. The pigment stone is normally dark in color and consists of bilirubin. Some of the risk factors of developing gallstones include individuals with certain genetic factors that increase the cholesterol content, people over the age of 40, obesity, certain intestinal diseases such as crohn’s disease and those with the family history of gallstones.
Symptoms
In most of the cases, the gallstones do not cause any signs or symptoms. This may only develop when the gallstones block the duct. In such cases, the symptoms can include back pain, sudden onset of intensifying pain of the right side of the abdomen and pain in the right shoulder. It is important to seek medical help, particularly when presented with high fever, jaundice and severe abdominal pain.
Diagnosis
As most of the cases do not exhibit any symptoms, it is often detected when tests are done for other conditions. Some of the tests that are used to diagnose the gallstones include a CT scan, blood tests to identify any complications such as an infection that are caused by the gallstones and an MRI scan. A procedure known as the cholangiography can help evaluate the condition of the gallbladder by using the special dye that shows up on X-rays.
Treatment
The treatment for the gallstones is not required if no symptoms are evident, however, treatment is necessary when gallbladder attack occur. When an individual is suspected of this condition, the health care provider will normally refer the individual to a specialist known as gastroenterologist who will initiate the treatment which can include a surgery to remove the gallbladder. Alternatively, nonsurgical methods are available such as oral dissolution therapy that consists of medication to dissolve the stones or shock wave lithotripsy which uses a certain instrument to crush the gallstone.
References
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/gallstones
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gallstones/basics/tests-diagnosis/con-20020461
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Gallstones/Pages/Diagnosis.aspx
