Symptoms of the disease

In the vast majority of cases, the gallstones does not cause symptoms. The stones are therefore discovered during an examination of the gallbladder, most often an ultrasound.

When gallstones causes symptoms, it is called seizures, hepatic colic also called biliary colic. They last from 30 minutes to 4 hours. Here are the main symptoms.

• A sudden, intense and permanent pain, crushing or twisting type, felt in the middle or in the upper right part of the abdomen. The pain sometimes radiates to the right shoulder and scapula. The sufferer tends to limit their breathing range.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• There is no fever or jaundice. And if there is, it is no longer a hepatic colic, but a complication.

People at risk

• The women. They are 2 to 3 times more prone to gallstones than men. It is believed that this is due to estrogen causing an increase in the amount of cholesterol in the bile.
• Women who have given birth to more than one child. As estrogen levels are higher during pregnancy, the risk of gallstones would also be. The more pregnancies, the greater the risk.
• The women aborigines or original Hispanic. It seems that this is partly linked to genetic factors, but also to eating habits.
• People with gastrointestinal illness, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
• People who have undergone bariatric surgery. About a third of people who have had this type of surgery will develop gallstones in the months following the operation.2.
• The risk of gallstones also increases withage.

Risk factors

• Obesity. This is one of the main risk factors. Mature men and women who are overweight are twice as likely to have gallstones as those who are at a healthy weight3. In their case, the liver would produce too much cholesterol in the bile. Physical inactivity and a diet that is too high in calories have also been linked to an increased risk of gallstones. Obesity is defined by the body mass index (BMI). To calculate yours, take our Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist Size test.
• Physical inactivity. An epidemiological study has shown that this is a serious risk factor. According to the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, men 65 and over who watch television more than 40 hours per week are 3 times more likely to have gallstones than viewers who watch it for less than 6 hours per week4.
• Diabetes. The hypertriglyceridemia often associated with diabetes is thought to facilitate stone formation, in addition to obesity and physical inactivity, which are other risk factors for gallstones and diabetes.
• Rapid weight loss. Studies have found that people who lose more than 3 pounds per week while dieting have a higher risk of gallstones than those who lose weight more slowly5. According to these same studies, following a very low calorie diet (around 800 calories per day) leads to stone formation in 10% to 25% of individuals (one third of these stones were symptomatic, that is, say they were causing an attack of biliary colic). It is believed that the cholesterol level in the bile would increase because the liver metabolizes more fat (including cholesterol) during the period of weight loss.
• Weight gain and loss cycles. Especially if they are over ten pounds.
• Young. When the gallbladder is used little or not for a long time, it does not drain regularly and the stagnation of the bile can create stones.
• Estrogens. Hormone therapy during menopause and oral contraceptives increase cholesterol levels in the bile and decrease gallbladder movement. Regarding hormone therapy during menopause, it seems that the risk increases with duration: hormone therapy for less than three years leads to two and a half times the risk, while hormone therapy for more than five years produces four times more6.
• Certain medicines used to lower cholesterol in the blood. Some of them increase the amount of cholesterol in the bile.
• A genetic predisposition could be involved.
• Le young prolonged,
• The pregnancy no doubt because it causes stasis.

• A diet low in fiber.