Hepatic (biliary) colic

Proven content

Hepatic (biliary) colic is manifested by sudden and very severe pain under the ribs, lasting up to several hours. It is a consequence of a disturbed work of the gallbladder, which plays an important role in the digestive process. Pain relieving drugs are used to relieve pain and to relax smooth muscles of the digestive tract.

What is hepatic colic?

Hepatic colic is otherwise known as bile colic and is a condition characterized by severe abdominal pain in the right hypochondrium or middle epigastrium (upper abdomen).

Hepatic colic usually occurs when you eat too much or too much of a meal. The condition is very unpleasant, the pain can spread all the way to the back, and the accompanying symptoms can be flatulence, heartburn or vomiting. The pain in the hepatic colic attacks suddenly and disappears slowly, sometimes it can last up to several hours. Hepatic colic is not a disease in itself, but may indicate more serious conditions, such as the gallbladder. Ignoring the problem may lead to serious complications.

Hepatic (biliary) colic – causes

Eating a lot of foods containing animal fats is linked to high cholesterol levels. This, in turn, causes the formation of deposits that accumulate in the gallbladder and disrupt its work. The function of the gallbladder is to push out the bile necessary for digesting food – if the gallbladder interferes with the contractions of the gallbladder, it must contract more intensively. This is what is the direct cause of hepatic colic and the severe pain associated with it.

Colic pain occurs when it is difficult for the stored bile to travel because there are deposits in the gallbladder or bile ducts.

Pankrofix – herbal tea with dandelion herb, fennel fruit, bean pods, mint leaf, thyme herb, blackcurrant fruit, anise fruit – has a beneficial effect on the work of the biliary tract and liver.

Cholelithiasis

Gallstones are nothing more than the presence of deposits (gallstones) in the gallbladder or bile ducts. Gallstones attack to a greater extent women, obese people, the elderly, diabetics and patients taking oral contraceptives or other estrogen preparations.

Gallstones can occur simultaneously with ductal stones, because the deposits in the gallbladder are tiny and can travel with bile to the bile ducts, blocking their narrow lumen. Apart from hepatic colic, urolithiasis is indicated by jaundice, which is additionally accompanied by stool discoloration and unpleasant itching of the skin.

Diagnosis of hepatic colic

As already mentioned, hepatic colic usually indicates gallstone disease, so this ailment should not be ignored. In any case, you should visit a doctor who will perform a physical and imaging examination.

The most useful test in the diagnosis of hepatic colic (in the course of gallbladder stones) is ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. This examination allows you to locate stones in the gallbladder and sometimes even in the bile ducts. However, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography or EUS (endoscopic ultrasound) is more sensitive. These two examinations are performed when choledocholithiasis is suspected, they allow to visualize the bile ducts from the inside and remove deposits or widen the bile ducts to the duodenum.

Hepatic (biliary) colic – treatment

Treatment of hepatic colic is immediate because, as mentioned above, it is not an illness in itself but a symptom of another ongoing condition. The colic is alleviated as soon as the cause of the colic is removed. Thus, the treatment of this ailment consists of:

1. administering painkillers, e.g. non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or paracetamol. Patients must not be given morphine as it may worsen symptoms;
2. administering preparations that relax smooth muscles of the gastrointestinal tract, e.g. papaverine, scopolamine or drotaverine;
3. using the procedure – removal of the gallbladder when we are dealing with symptomatic gallstones;
4. the use of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with prosthesis of the biliary tract or dilatation of the mouth to the biliary tract.

Hepatic colic – pre-medical procedure

Until the doctor arrives, you can only:

1. put a drying compress from the settled water on the area of ​​the right hypochondrium,
2. in the case of very severe cramping pains and the lack of a doctor: use a painkiller once,
3. give a single dose of mild sedatives.

Hepatic colic and diet

A well-adjusted diet allows not only to cure hepatic colic, but also to alleviate the symptoms of urolithiasis. The diet should be low-fat and easy to digest.

1. Liver diet – what does it look like? Nutrition rules for damaged liver

Patients should eliminate or limit products such as cheese, lard, mayonnaise and cream. In addition, frying should be avoided, it is better when you cook the dish in an oven or steaming. Patients suffering from obesity should reduce body weight, while in those who additionally suffer from hypertriglyceridemia – simple sugars and disaccharides should be limited.

Complications of hepatic colic

Ignoring the ailment of hepatic colic can lead to unpleasant consequences, requiring hospitalization. The complications of untreated hepatic (biliary) colic include:

1. acute pancreatitis,
2. acute cholecystitis,
3. inflammation of the bile ducts,
4. in rare cases, secondary cirrhosis may occur,
5. chronic inflammation of the gallbladder walls.

Acute pancreatitis and acute cholecystitis are diseases that are immediately hospitalized because they are life-threatening! Therefore, it is very important that patients do not ignore hepatic colic and consult their doctor in any case. This will help to recognize the disease in a timely manner and prevent possible complications.

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Read also:

1. Intestinal colic
2. Renal colic
3. This is our “health factory”. How to effectively support the liver?