The gall bladder is involved in the production, accumulation and delivery of bile to the duodenum 12 when food enters the digestive tract. Diseases of this organ are considered quite common pathologies. Symptoms and treatment are somewhat similar, but there are certain differences that must be taken into account.
With improper or untimely therapy, various kinds of complications can occur, which is why you need to contact a doctor immediately, at the slightest suspicion of a pathology.
The concepts and functions of the body
The gall bladder belongs to the digestive system. It is located next to the liver, bottom right side. In this organ, bile accumulates, which is required for the normal digestion process.
He is directly involved in the functioning of the excretory system. Toxic substances are not filtered by the kidneys, therefore, are excreted through the bile. Like other organs, the biliary system tends to wear out, which is why you need to know what problems there are with the gallbladder and what exactly they are characterized by.
Main reasons
Bile dissolves and breaks down the fats that come with food so that they are absorbed by the body. Gallbladder problems can occur for reasons such as:
- change in the chemical composition of bile;
- infectious inflammation of the mucous organ;
- malnutrition and alcohol abuse.
These are only the main reasons why such violations occur. It is very important to recognize the course of the pathology in a timely manner and conduct complex treatment.
Major diseases
Problems with the gallbladder and its ducts are a fairly common disease and are in third place after heart disease and diabetes. Often they provoke liver disorders. Often, women older than 40 years suffer from a similar problem, although recently such pathologies are found even in children. The most common gallbladder problems are:
- cholestasis;
- cholecystitis;
- cholelithiasis;
- cholangitis;
- polyps in the gall bladder.
These pathologies are difficult to diagnose. With the development of gallstone disease, serious problems with the liver and gall bladder are observed. It is characterized by the formation of sand in the biliary tract. Periodic or permanent stagnation of bile in this organ or a change in its composition leads to the formation of stones. The course of the disease takes a rather long period and passes almost asymptomatically. You can find out about the presence of stones and problems with the gall bladder by accident, when conducting an examination with a doctor.
The disease can occur when the stones contained are moving, which can be caused by eating food, a stroke, an awkward movement. Among the main symptoms of such a violation, it is necessary to distinguish such as:
- soreness in the lumbar region;
- nausea;
- chills;
- vomiting
Another quite common disease is cholecystitis. It occurs against the background of a violation of the outflow of bile. With an acute course of the disease, gallstones can form. If the stones have a size of up to 3 mm, they are capable of independently through the ducts. Larger stones clog them, causing severe pain and colic. Such a situation necessarily requires an urgent operation. Among the main signs of cholecystitis, it is necessary to distinguish such as:
- paroxysmal pain under the ribs;
- temperature rise;
- yellowing of the skin.
In violation of the motility of the digestive system, dyskinesia occurs. The disease is characterized by the fact that there is a sharp deterioration in the tone of the walls and valves of the bile ducts. Among the main features you need to highlight:
- lack of appetite;
- general weakness;
- heaviness in the right side.
Among the problems with the gallbladder, cholangitis should be highlighted. This disease is characterized by the occurrence of inflammation of the biliary tract. Basically, it arises as a complication of the underlying disease, trauma, infection. The disease is dangerous because it develops rapidly, and with untimely provision of medical care, the patient may die.
Organ cancer occurs as a complication of ongoing inflammatory chronic processes affecting the membrane and its ducts. Malignant neoplasm is characterized by rapid progression and metastasis.
Many of these pathologies are treated fairly well by conservative methods, but cholecystectomy is necessary. After excision of the gallbladder, a person must follow a strict diet and limit physical activity.
The main symptoms
With problems with the gallbladder, the symptoms of the diseases are largely similar to each other, however, each pathology has some features. Therefore, only a doctor, based on the data of the examination, will be able to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment. It is worth noting that there may be certain problems after the removal of the gallbladder, therefore, it is necessary to continue the prescribed therapy. Also, in the absence of this body, you need to adhere to a special dietary diet.
Among the main symptoms of problems with the gallbladder, it is necessary to highlight such as:
- loss of appetite;
- flatulence;
- nausea;
- belching;
- upset stool.
Painful sensations can have a very different degree of intensity, which mainly increases after consumption of fried, fatty or spicy foods, as well as alcohol. In addition, pain can be caused by intense physical exertion, starvation for weight loss, stress. This is the first sign of problems with the gallbladder and its ducts. In the presence of stones, a sudden, sharp, burning pain occurs, which is called hepatic colic.
In the case of an inflammatory process, the temperature may rise. Basically, the onset of pain indicates advanced cases, since at the initial stage, most diseases of this organ are asymptomatic. In addition, certain symptoms of problems with the gallbladder on the face may occur, which manifest as a yellowish tint of the skin and sclera of the eyes. However, it is worth noting that this symptom is also characteristic of liver pathologies.
Quite often, a yellowish coating appears in the tongue, which happens due to the fact that bile is thrown into the esophagus, and from there it enters the oral cavity. A characteristic sign for gallbladder disease is an unpleasant bitter taste in the mouth.
With the occurrence of many pathologies of the biliary tract, discoloration of feces and darkening of urine are observed. All these signs indicate the presence of problems with the gallbladder, which is why when they occur, you must definitely visit a doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
Which doctor to contact
Many people in case of soreness are interested in which doctor to contact for problems with the gallbladder for diagnosis and treatment. First of all, you need to visit a therapist who conducts an initial examination and history taking. Based on the obtained data, he directs the patient to a gastroenterologist or prescribes an ultrasound. If the initial diagnosis is confirmed, then the treatment is carried out by a gastroenterologist.
It is this specialist who prescribes additional types of research. In addition, the consultation of a surgeon, infectious disease specialist, and oncologist may be required. In no case should you conduct the treatment yourself, since without knowing the diagnosis, you can only significantly aggravate the situation and provoke the occurrence of serious complications.
The doctor should be consulted when the first signs of the formation of the disease occur, as it can lead to the development of complications, as a result of which, organ removal may even be required.
Diagnostics
If the very first signs of gallbladder problems in a child or an adult occur, you need to visit a doctor and make a diagnosis. To make a correct diagnosis, simply describing the existing symptoms is not enough, because in some cases it is blurred or a person may simply not attach importance to it until an attack occurs.
Without exacerbating the disease, general and biochemical blood and urine tests can be absolutely normal. During an acute attack, an increase in the number of leukocytes is observed. In a biochemical study, about 1-2 days after an acute attack, bile acids can be detected, and the bilirubin indicator also slightly increases.
More detailed information can be obtained by conducting laboratory and instrumental examination of the functioning of the biliary tract. Ultrasound diagnosis allows you to detect stones in the affected organ, as well as pathologies that lead to their formation.
In addition, angiographic techniques are used to accurately monitor the dynamics of the outflow of bile. Duodenal sounding makes it possible to determine whether bile enters the duodenum. With the course of the disease in a child, a similar technique is used quite rarely.
Treatment features
For problems with the gallbladder, treatment must necessarily be comprehensive, and it includes the use of medications prescribed by the doctor, as well as dieting. Each pathology has its own specific course and various means and methods are used for treatment.
With cholelithiasis, strict adherence to bed rest, diet, normalization of weight, and the administration of certain medications are also shown. In particular, the doctor prescribes antibiotics, antispasmodics, hepatoprotectors, analgesics. If an attack of acute hepatic colic is repeated frequently, then an operation, that is, excision of the gallbladder, is required.
In chronic cholecystitis, bed rest is indicated for 7-10 days, taking antibiotics, enzyme preparations and antispasmodics. With dyskinesia, it is necessary to eliminate a stressful situation. To do this, you need to take sedatives and antidepressants. Also, drugs are required to eliminate muscle spasm of the affected organ, choleretic and herbal remedies. With dyskinesia, physiotherapy, in particular UHF, inductothermy, is indicated.
In the case of acute cholangitis, the doctor mainly prescribes antibacterial agents, enzymes, antispasmodics, antipyretics, analgesics. Treatment of a malignant neoplasm largely depends on the spread of the tumor process. Basically, an excision of the organ, partial excision of the liver and adjacent lymph nodes. Combination therapy is required, that is, it must combine surgical treatment, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
Drug therapy
To prevent attacks of the disease, a prerequisite for conducting therapy is taking medications. The doctor selects the medicine, and it depends on the characteristics of the course, the person’s ability to regularly take the prescribed drugs. Types of drugs prescribed for diseases of the gallbladder:
- antispasmodics (No-shpa, Drotaverin, Mebeverin);
- choleretic drugs ("Flamin", "Allohol", "Holosas");
- tonic (Cerebron, Elkar);
- anti-inflammatory ("Diclofenac", "Nalgesin");
- hepatoprotectors (Gepabene, Karsil, Essentiale, Hofitol).
Anesthetics for the treatment of biliary pathologies are undesirable, since their effectiveness is quite low, however, there is a risk of peptic ulcer. To eliminate pain, it is much more effective to use antispasmodics.
Cholagogue is used without exacerbation, since their use during biliary colic can provoke a deterioration in the patient's well-being. Hepatoprotectors are required for all pathologies of this bile, as well as the liver to maintain its normal function. They are drunk mainly courses in the period of remission. Tonic agents that normalize the function of the affected organ are also required.
Surgical intervention
Surgical treatment of the disease - excision of a diseased organ. Often they resort to it during the course of cholelithiasis. The operation can be performed endoscopically or laparotomically. The use of endoscopic techniques is considered a more advanced method.
Among the indications for laparotomy is the inability to perform endoscopic surgery, as well as with suspected complication of cholecystitis. This operation is much more traumatic and is prescribed only according to indications.
Intervention for excision of a diseased organ is performed as planned or urgently. Indication for emergency surgery is an acute attack of gallstone disease, which cannot be eliminated with medications. During the bearing of the child, intervention is not performed.
After the operation, you must follow a strict diet and take medications. It is especially important to control the intervals between food intake.
Dieting
Diet for problems with the gallbladder is very important. It is various errors in it that can cause aggravation. During the period of remission, it is necessary to limit the consumption of spicy, smoked and fatty foods. Liquid can be consumed without restriction.
Nutrition for problems with the gallbladder should be balanced and some intervals between food intake must be strictly observed. You need to eat in small portions, but often. The interval between food intake should be no more than 4 hours. This is especially important after surgery. It is completely necessary to exclude the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
If serious problems with the liver and gall bladder are observed, the diet should be very strict. It is forbidden to eat food until the attack of biliary colic is eliminated. Liquid is also not recommended for drinking. You can only periodically moisten your lips with warm water or unsweetened tea. After normalization of health or elimination of the pain syndrome, you can eat literally a few spoons of thoroughly mashed vegetable soup, drink diluted juice or unsweetened tea.
Diet for problems with the gallbladder implies the rejection of sweets, canned goods, muffins and fresh bread. It is recommended to eat mainly fresh or boiled vegetables.
Prophylaxis
In the development of gallbladder diseases, an important role is played by many different factors, each of which is quite possible to prevent. An important role for prevention is played by a healthy lifestyle, refusal from smoking, consumption of alcoholic beverages, restriction of consumption of spicy and fatty foods, moderate physical activity. All this helps to prevent the development of the disease, even if there are anatomical abnormalities in the development of the organ.
It is important to remember that all existing chronic diseases must be treated with a doctor, and folk remedies are permissible only after prior consultation with the doctor, so as not to harm health.
The gall bladder has a very important function and any disturbances in this organ negatively affect the general condition of the digestive organs, therefore, timely diagnosis and treatment is required.