A Simple Explanation of Gallstones
Because some gallstones never cause pain most people that have gallstones don’t know they have them. At even if a physician determines that a patient has gallstones, if no symptoms are present, there’s usually no need for treatment. However, if treatment is needed and surgery (i.e., gallbladder removal) is the best option, the body soon adjusts itself to not having this organ because the body functions properly without it.
Two types of gallstones can form in the body - these are referred to as either cholesterol or pigmented stones. The type of gallstones that form can be linked to the patient’s country. For example people in America tend to develop cholesterol stones. People from Asian countries tend to develop pigmented gallstones.
Gallstones comes in all sizes, from a tiny grain of sand up to just under 2 inches in diameter, or the size of a standard golf ball. The number of gallstones found in each patient differs as well. People can have one large gallstone or several small ones. Large gallstones tend to remain in one place whereas smaller gallstones have been known to move around.
About 80% of the gallstones found in Americans are cholesterol stones. These stones develop as the result of three main factors: too much bilirubin (a brownish substance that gives stool its brown color); too much cholesterol, or an inadequate quantity of bile salts, substances which are produced by the liver and located in the gall bladder and help the body absorb certain food substances. When cholesterol stones make their way into the duct that leads into the pancreas they can sometimes cause pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).
Pigment stones are black or brown in color and are comprised of bilirubin and calcium. Pigment stones most often develop in individuals with biliary tract infections, hereditary blood disorders, or cirrhosis of the liver; conditions where too much bilirubin has formed. If the body destroys too many red blood cells the body produces an excess amount of bilirubin and this causes the formation of pigment stones in the gallbladder. Sickle-cell anemia, a hereditary blood disorder, tends to cause the body to destroy red blood cells too early in the process, resulting in excess bilirubin. As such, statistics show that individuals with sickle-cell anemia tend to require gallbladder removal surgery at a higher rate than those without the condition.
Gallstones can harden over time and become calcified. Calcification occurs when the stones contain an inordinate amount of calcium substances. Calcified gallstones can sometimes become so dense that they’re visible on regular x-rays.
In some instances the presence of biliary sludge indicates a predisposition to developing gallstones. Biliary sludge is a thick protein-filled substance found in the gallbladder. It can itself sometimes cause abdominal pain when the sludge blocks the ducts going into the intestine. Biliary sludge can also cause inflammation of the pancreas or gallbladder.
The treatment chosen to deal with gallstones varies from person to person. If the person has been diagnosed with gallstones but only occasionally exhibits symptoms a doctor may opt to treat the stones with medicine. If the patient experiences pain shortly after consuming food and the doctor determines that gallstones are the culprit, gallbladder surgery may be recommended. Gallbladder surgery has recently become one of the most prevalent surgical procedures in the United States. With the advances of medical science many gallbladders are removed laparoscopically, greatly reducing a patient’s hospital and recovery time. As such many patients are now able to resume their normal daily activities within a few days.
Tags: Diseases and Conditions