If you tapped your right hypochondrium and felt unpleasant sensations, this may indicate that you have problems with the liver or gall bladder. Cholangitis is one of the common diseases in which the body itself begins to attack the bile ducts. As a result of this, they narrow, bile stasis begins to develop, which then corrodes the liver tissue.
Let's look at the structure of the bile. So, all liver cells are equipped with bile ducts, which connect into the ducts through which the substance of interest to us enters the bladder. When a person eats food, there is an active contraction of this body. Bile enters the duodenum in order to break down fats: divide them into small particles, which will then be absorbed into the intestine. If its excretion does not occur, fats do not break down and are not absorbed.
When bile stasis forms, it begins to corrode the ducts and liver tissue. In general, a person himself can detect signs of this disease. The symptoms of bile congestion are as follows:
- A person begins to “feel” the liver, there is discomfort in this area.
- Weakness.
- Yellowness of the skin.
- Darkening of urine.
- Feces lose their color, become paler.
- Itching and burning, which appear due to a decrease in secretions of bile.
This is because stagnation occurs, and pigments of the bile itself, such as bilirubin, enter the bloodstream. Therefore, a person's skin turns yellow. Urine acquires a beer hue, because bilirubin after filtration in the kidneys is in the bladder. And since bile does not enter the intestines, the stool does not stain and becomes colorless. Since fat-soluble vitamins are not absorbed as a result of stagnation, this can cause osteoporosis - brittle bones.
Violation of the formation of bile and a violation of its outflow are the main factors causing bile congestion. The reasons for the development of the first disease are as follows:
- Damage to the liver of viral origin.
- Alcohol.
- The effect of drugs.
- Ingestion of toxic substances into the liver.
- Cirrhosis of the liver.
- Bacterial infection.
Violation of the outflow of bile can be triggered by tuberculosis, biliary artesia or cirrhosis, sarcoidosis and other diseases.
In order to diagnose this stagnation, a blood test and ultrasound are prescribed. If cholestasis (a violation of the flow of bile into the duodenum) has an advanced stage, the diagnosis determines that the liver is enlarged, nodes may form on the surface. If stagnation of bile in the gallbladder began relatively recently, the organs are not yet enlarged.
If you have this disease, you must adhere to a certain diet. First of all, you need to limit the consumption of animal fats and enrich your diet with vegetable fats. Further medical treatment, which is required, should be prescribed by your doctor according to the specifics of your disease.
Sometimes, when stagnation of bile leads to the development of multiple liver diseases, surgical intervention may be required. In this case, an endoscopic technique is used - a seamless expansion of the ducts. However, this method is an extreme measure, which is resorted to if the effect of conservative treatment is completely absent. If a person listens to his body, he will understand in time what is bothering him and consult a specialist (gastroenterologist or surgeon). Then the operation can be avoided.
Therefore, your main task is not to let everything go by chance and monitor your own health, because everyone has one.