Gallbladder, which is located in the right upper quadrant just beneath the liver, is responsible for storing as well as releasing bile. Bile is the digestive enzyme that your liver produces. Gallbladder improves the potency of bile by making it more concentrated. Bile plays a very crucial role in digesting fat. Gallbladder disease that has an adverse effect on bile secretion can give rise to some mild as well as serious symptoms. Gallbladder problems are often misdiagnosed mainly because they produce symptoms that are very similar to some common digestive conditions.
Gallbladder issues are more common in women and elderly people. There are many factors that can lead to malfunctioning of the gallbladder. The most common ones include a diet that is high in fat and low in fiber, obesity, excess estrogen, and being exposed to environmental toxins. Listed below are few of the most common problems that affect the gallbladder.
Gallbladder Sludge
This gallbladder problem is the mixtures of bile, particulate matter, and mucin and it precedes gallstones. It does not necessarily produce any symptoms. The symptoms might appear when the bile ducts get obstructed due to the movement of sludge into the biliary tract. Gallbladder sludge produces symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. These symptoms usually occur after having a high fat meal. Inflammation of the bile ducts and pancreas are complications associated with this gallbladder condition.
Cholelithiasis or Gallstones
Formation of gallstones is among the most common gallbladder conditions. Gallstones refer to hard, stone-like deposits that are developed in the gallbladder. Gallstones can be very small or too large. They are made up of calcium, cholesterol, or bilirubin. However, in most cases, gallstones are composed of cholesterol. Cholelithiasis is the medical term for the existence of gallstones inside the gallbladder.
The symptoms of gallstones appear when the deposits are large and obstruct the flow of bile. Some symptoms of gallstones include sudden pain in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen, heartburn, bleaching, nausea, and burping. The pain associated with this condition can last for a few minutes to several hours.
Cholecystitis
Cholecystitis is the medical name for gallbladder inflammation. This condition can be a result of gallstones, scarring of bile duct, tumors that lead to bile buildup, etc. Inflammation of the gallbladder can also be a result of the cystic duct obstruction. This problem produces symptoms like right abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and bloating. Serious problems might also lead to the development of jaundice.
Porcelain Gallbladder
Chronic cholecystitis can lead to the scarring of the gallbladder. Porcelain gallbladder is the condition in which the gallbladder wall gets calcified because of chronic cholecystitis. This gallbladder problem can also be a result of excessive gallstone formation. As a result of calcification, the wall of the gallbladder becomes hard. It produces symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain after meals.
Gallbladder Polyps
Gallbladder ploys refer to the development of benign growths on the inner lining of the gallbladder. This condition usually does not show any symptoms during early stages. In case of big polyps, surgery is recommended to remove them. Polyps are known to increase the risk of gallbladder cancer. Jaundice, weight loss, abdominal pain, fever, pale stones, and dark yellow urine are some common symptoms of gallbladder cancer. The only way to treat it is to have the gallbladder removed through surgery.