Learn about gallstone symptoms and treatment plans

Gallstones are a condition that can cause frequent painful attacks, and sometimes leads to inflammation in the liver and pancreas. We'll teach you the causes behind the condition, it's symptoms, and the treatment available.

• The gallbladder seems to serve no purpose other than to store and concentrate bile, a substance produced by the liver to digest fats in the small intestine. Removal of the organ appears to have no effect on digestion.
• Bile fluid contains high levels of cholesterol and the pigment bilirubin, both of which precipitate as crystals to form stones, which can be as fine as beach sand or as coarse as river gravel. Most gallstones are hardened cholesterol, and the rest are made up of bilirubin plus calcium.
• Gallstones can develop in both sexes, but they tend to run in families and are most common in overweight middle-aged women. Women (especially those who have borne children) are thought to be particularly vulnerable because of the high levels of blood cholesterol and bile that develop late in pregnancy and in the weeks following childbirth.
• It's also believed that the female hormones progesterone and estrogen, whether occurring naturally or taken in oral contraceptives, may play a role in gallstone formation.
• Crash weight-loss diets are believed to be another precipitating factor. Many people appear to develop gallstones after a period of yo-yo dieting, with repeated cycles of weight loss and gain, or after a single dramatic weight loss.

• Many people never know that they have gallstones because they have no symptoms. But for some, the presence of gallstones can cause pain in the upper right abdomen and inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis) that brings on sudden, severe pain extending to the back and under the right shoulder blade, with fever, chills and vomiting.
• If stones obstruct the flow of bile, the skin and the whites of the eyes can become jaundiced. Left untreated, stones can lodge in the bile duct and cause inflammation of the liver or pancreas.
• If you suffer from frequent painful attacks, the usual treatment is the surgical removal of the gallbladder, called a cholecystectomy. The procedure can be performed by conventional surgery or by lapa­ros­copy, which involves only a tiny incision and a brief hospital stay.
• Medications have been used with mixed success to dissolve gallstones, but the stones often recur if the person stops taking the drug. Another option is a procedure called lithotripsy, which uses shockwaves to break up the gallstones.

Gallstones can be painful and dangerous, but there's no reason that you need to suffer. There are several effective treatments available, so speak with your doctor if you suspect that you suffer from gallstones. They can likely help you feel a lot better.