It is estimated that 1/4 patients with asymptomatic gallstones will develop symptoms over 5-10 years. If this occurs the person may become jaundiced (yellow) and require urgent treatment to remove the offending stone. Sometimes stones may travel into the bile ducts and cause a blockage (referred to as choledocholithiasis). The classic symptoms attributed to gallstones include pain, bloating, nausea and/or vomiting. Only a minority of patients with gallstones develop symptoms. It is very rare that we can identify why any one particular person develops gallstones. Occasionally they develop after long periods of illness, and sometimes people with certain blood disorders develop them.
There are also some medications used to reduce cholesterol that predispose to the development of gallstones. They are more common in women taking estrogen either as the oral contraceptive or hormone replacement therapy. They are more common in women than men and there is a tendency to develop them in pregnancy. They tend to occur in people who are overweight or obese, and in those who lose weight rapidly.
They tend to develop in middle age (40 years and older) but are sometimes seen in very young people. There are many different reasons why people develop gallstones. It is estimated that around 20% of people will develop gallstones in their life time. Gallstones may form in any part of the biliary system, but most commonly in the gallbladder. The gallbladder stores bile, which is a fluid that helps to emulsify fat and facillitate absorption.īile produced in the liver flows through bile ducts and into the first part of the small intestine (gut).
The gallbladder is a small pear-shaped organ that is attached to the underside of the liver.
0 kommentar(er)
