Contents
In line with its mission, the Editorial Board of MedTvoiLokony makes every effort to provide reliable medical content supported by the latest scientific knowledge. The additional flag “Checked Content” indicates that the article has been reviewed by or written directly by a physician. This two-step verification: a medical journalist and a doctor allows us to provide the highest quality content in line with current medical knowledge.
Our commitment in this area has been appreciated, among others, by by the Association of Journalists for Health, which awarded the Editorial Board of MedTvoiLokony with the honorary title of the Great Educator.
The most common disease of the gallbladder is urolithiasis. Many people know this disease and its ailments. But our problems with the gallbladder, which we commonly call the gall bladder, do not end there.
The gallbladder lies under the liver. Its shape resembles a pear-shaped bag. The gallbladder is up to 10 centimeters long. It consists of a neck, body and bottom. The cervix is extended with an alveolar duct, which in turn connects with the hepatic duct, and then enters the duodenum. The gallbladder wall is made up of three layers: the mucosa, the muscular membrane and the serosa.
The main function of the gallbladder is to store and thicken the bile. This organ can hold up to 70 ml of bile. When a person is hungry, the bile produced by the liver is stored in the gallbladder. On the other hand, during a meal, bile is released into the duodenum. Bile emulsifies fats, which means it helps you digest and absorb them. As a result, fat-soluble vitamins are also absorbed.
The most common diseases of the gallbladder include:
- cholecystolithiasis
- acute and chronic vesiculitis
- gall bladder cancer.
In case of inflammation of the gallbladder, you can use LiverDetox – Doctor Life dietary supplement available on Medonet Market.
If you experience recurring abdominal discomfort, you should consult your doctor. The first symptoms may indicate much more serious ailments. Use the online teleconsultation at an internist on the haloDoctor.pl website to implement appropriate treatment at an early stage of the disease.
Cholecystolithiasis
Women suffer from this disease three times more often than men. Very often, gallstones are found in a person who meets the criteria of the so-called 4xF, i.e. a woman, forty years old, obese, who gave birth several times (in English it is: female, forty, fat, fertile). However, this is not a pattern that applies to all patients with gallstone disease.
It is not entirely clear why stones are formed in the pouch, but it is known what the mechanism of their formation is and what is conducive to it.
She is favored by, among others excessive cholesterol in the blood, obesity, age – young people very rarely have gallstones – a diet rich in animal fats, some diseases, e.g. diabetes. Gallstones are often formed in people who lose weight rapidly, for example after radical weight loss treatments or after bariatric surgery, such as reducing the stomach. You can also have a family predisposition to urolithiasis.
The bile in the gallbladder is in a liquid form, and it should actually be. Sometimes, however, for some unknown reason, it loses this property and begins to crystallize. Bile acid salts then concentrate around exfoliated fragments of the bile duct epithelium and form larger and larger lumps, i.e. stones. Not all stones are the same – some are cholesterol and some are calcified. The former are large – usually there is one such stone in the bag – and the latter are smaller and there may be a lot of them. Calcified stones are more common.
The main symptom of gallbladder disease is severe abdominal pain (called biliary colic) after eating fatty foods. The pain is located in the right subcostal area or in the middle epigastrium. Pain may radiate under the right shoulder blade. During an attack of biliary colic, nausea, vomiting, discomfort and abdominal distension may also appear.
If you want to take care of your bile ducts, drink regularly. For Digestion, a herbal tea available at Medonet Market.
Remember: any disturbing symptoms must not be underestimated. Consult a doctor if you feel unwell. You can find a database of specialists from all over Poland on the website clinics.pl.
It is not always necessary to operate on the follicle. The operation is performed only when stones are the cause of unpleasant ailments – e.g. very painful biliary colic – and when they cannot be removed by pharmacotherapy. Cholesterol stones can often be dissolved with the right drugs.
If surgery is required, the surgeon must remove the entire follicle. However, it leaves the bile duct so that the bile has to flow from the liver to the duodenum.
The operation can be performed using the classic method (cholecystectomy), i.e. cutting the abdominal wall, or laparoscopically. Today, surgeons use the latter method more often because it is safer. In addition, it allows the patient to return to normal life faster, because four tiny cuts on the abdomen heal faster than a large wound after a classic surgery. All follicle operations are performed under general anesthesia.
When the patient is anesthetized, a one-inch incision is made around the navel and instruments are inserted through them, including a laparoscope with a mini-camera. The doctor can see on the monitor where he has arrived. He cuts out a gallbladder filled with stones, brings it out and sutures it over the wound. This completes the operation.
After the surgery
For two or three months after the procedure, patients should not lift, because during exercise, an umbilical hernia may form at the site of the surgical incision. In addition, for the rest of your life you have to take care of a proper diet, that is, eat easily digestible meals, cooked, not fried, and avoid animal fat.
However, it is important to know that removing the gallbladder does not protect against the re-formation of stones. If there is no gallbladder, they form in the bile ducts. They also need to be removed.
In this situation, endoscopy is performed. The surgeon enters with an endoscope – a thin tube with a mini camera and tools – through the mouth, esophagus and duodenum to the bile ducts. The procedure is a bit like gastroscopy. We place a tiny basket at the end of the endoscope. By maneuvering the tools, the surgeon collects the stones and takes them outside.
All types of gallbladder or stone removal procedures are reimbursed by the National Health Fund.
Acute cholecystitis
It is usually caused by untreated gallstone disease. However, not all people with urolithiasis develop acute inflammation. It concerns 10-20 percent. sick.
Inflammation most often develops when bile cannot drain freely from the bladder, the lumen of the bile duct is closed by a stone or the bladder mucosa swells.
The residual bile and stones irritate the walls of the follicle, which contributes to the development of inflammation. The follicle becomes larger and the blood flow through its vessels is obstructed, and this exacerbates the inflammation. If the patient is not properly treated, a bacterial infection may develop which passes through the bloodstream.
To take care of your bile ducts, it is worth reaching for dietary supplements, such as Kocanka sandowa Premium ™ – support for the liver and gallbladder, which can be purchased at Medonet Market.
In acute inflammation, the patient’s condition is usually serious. Vomiting, long-lasting colic, chills, severe pain under the right hypochondrium lasting more than 6 hours are characteristic. Usually, the vesicle is also felt by the doctor through the skin. There is also nausea and vomiting with bile, and acceleration of the heart rate and breathing. Rarely, yellowing of the skin occurs. Mild attacks resolve spontaneously within a few days (1-10) but usually recur.
To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor performs an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. Laboratory tests show elevated levels of white blood cells (leukocytosis), elevated levels of ALAT, ASPAT, GGTP, alkaline phosphatase and elevated bilirubin levels.
Treatment of acute disease requires a hospital stay. 25 percent people with acute cholecystitis require cholecystectomy, i.e. removal of the gallbladder. This is usually done using the classic method, i.e. cutting the abdominal wall, although surgeons increasingly use a laparoscope during the procedure.
Symptomatic treatment consists of intravenous rehydration, administration of painkillers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antispasmodics and broad-spectrum antibiotics. It is also necessary to follow a strict diet.
It is good to use FOR THE LIVER – herbal set from Herbapol in Krakow. It includes:
- silymarin capsules,
- Fix tea for the liver,
- capsules Gall bladder.
Chronic cholecystitis
It may be a consequence of acute inflammation. It can develop as a complication of gallstone disease or after significant dietary mistakes.
The predominant symptom is pain of varying intensity that appears on the right side under the ribs. Pain can radiate to the shoulder blades and spine. It is worth knowing that the pains may only cover the epigastric area. Another symptom is bouts of biliary colic, which are aggravated after eating fatty, fried foods, sour cream, cream cakes.
Chronic inflammation is also accompanied by frequent belching, nausea, abdominal distension, and disgust in the mouth. You may also see slight yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes. The ailments worsen under the influence of physical exertion, stimulants, severe stress and diseases associated with high temperature.
Chronic cholecystitis is an indication for the surgical removal of this organ along with deposits in the bile ducts and the gallbladder itself. Ideally, surgery is performed on a scheduled date and not when complications arise.
The operations are performed laparoscopically, but sometimes the doctor decides to perform the surgery using the classic method. This usually happens when the doctor suspects another condition, bleeding is unforeseen, or the bile ducts are damaged.
Do you suffer from chronic cholecystitis?
After the surgery
Following radical treatment of chronic cholecystitis, it is very important to follow a proper diet. It is a diet based on low-fat and high-carbohydrate foods. It is important to avoid heavy meals, but also to starve yourself. It’s best to eat 5-6 meals a day at fixed times. It is important to chew each bite carefully. Cooked or stewed foods are best. Skimmed dairy products, graham bread, groats and pasta are also recommended.
Gall bladder cancer
Gallbladder cancer is relatively rare, although it accounts for as much as 80-95 percent. bile duct cancers. It is the fifth most common cancer of the digestive system. This disease mainly affects people over 60 years of age, more often women than men. It is a rapidly progressing malignant neoplasm with a high mortality rate.
Gallbladder cancer is a malignant tumor that originates in the epithelial cells of the gallbladder mucosa. The causes of gallbladder cancer are not exactly known. The risk factors include perennial gallstone disease, porcelain (i.e., the wall of which is saturated with calcium salts), and biliary cysts.
Follicular cancer can also accompany some polyposis syndromes of the large intestine. Employees of the footwear, rubber, textile and paper industries are exposed to its development, mainly due to contact with toxic chemicals.
In most cases, it is detected accidentally when a histopathologist examines a vesicle removed due to urolithiasis. Gallstones in the bladder accompany cancer of this organ in about 80%. cases.
The most common symptom is pain located on the right side of the abdomen under the ribs. Often it radiates to the scapula or to the spine. There is also jaundice and itching of the skin – these symptoms indicate a significant advancement of the disease. Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and weight loss are less common in patients.
Diagnosis of the disease
Bad news first. Early diagnosis of gallbladder cancer is rare. But when examining the abdomen with your fingers, the doctor can feel a lump. However, to confirm his assumptions, he usually recommends abdominal ultrasound, sometimes computed tomography, and specialized tests that show narrowing of the middle section of the bile ducts, which is most often associated with cancer infiltration. Laboratory tests are also performed to find out whether there is an increase in the activity of transaminases, enzymes indicative of biliary obstruction (GGTP and AP), and the level of bilirubin is measured.
This is the only way to cure gallbladder cancer completely, but it only applies to patients with early diagnosis of the disease. The surgeon performs an operation involving the opening of the abdominal integuments, during which he removes the tumor along with a large margin of adjacent tissues.
Once the cancer has spread to the liver, your doctor may remove a piece of it and remove the lymph nodes. If the metastases are extensive, it may be necessary to remove the pancreas and duodenum.
Chemotherapy is ineffective and is not the standard treatment. Radiotherapy can be used as supportive treatment (after surgery) or as a palliative treatment.
It is not possible to cure an advanced tumor completely. If the cancer is inoperable, only surgery is performed to alleviate the symptoms of the disease, i.e. to facilitate the drainage of bile from the bladder.
The hawthorn fruit has a positive effect on problems with the gallbladder, from which you can even make tea and drink it both prophylactically and as a support during treatment. To improve the functioning of the gallbladder, it is also worth drinking a tea based on dandelion root.