The symptoms of cholelithiasis are important to determine in the early stages, so that as soon as possible to begin treatment of this disease and try to cope with it. This disease is associated with the formation of stones in the gallbladder and bile ducts. If there are no complications, then conservative methods are used in the treatment, if conventional methods cannot remove the stones, then it is necessary to resort to surgical intervention.
What causes cholelithiasis?
Symptoms of cholelithiasis are described in detail in this article. But for starters, it is worth deciding on what it can arise from. The causes of cholelithiasis are usually associated with impaired metabolism. This leads to the formation of stones in the gallbladder and bile ducts.
The process is as follows. Due to impaired metabolism in the human body, the composition and properties of bile can change dramatically. As a result, bile thickens and stagnates, and the acids present in it precipitate. From here dense formations are formed, turning into stones. In their composition they have bilirubin, cholesterol, salts and proteins.
The size and number of stones that can form in the gallbladder varies greatly. From one to several dozen and from grains of sand in size to large objects the size of a walnut.
Very often, gallstone disease is accompanied by inflammation of the gallbladder. This disease is called cholecystitis. There are also disorders when bile enters the digestive tract, which leads to biliary dyskinesia.
Possible complications
When complications arise, the stone can completely block the outflow of bile into the neck of the gallbladder. As a result, the so-called obstructive jaundice is rapidly developing. This is already a disease that can lead to death if you do not start treatment for it in time.
Among the possible complications, perforation of the gallbladder or peritonitis also occurs. In the latter case, the inflammatory process extends to the peritoneum. An abdominal abscess may occur , and this is already fraught with toxic shock and even multiple organ failure. Most of these diseases in extreme cases are fatal.
It is worth noting that there are a number of factors that affect the development of this disease, increase the risk of its formation. More often exposed to cholelithiasis are women of venerable age who have had impaired tone and motility, concomitant diseases of the liver, intestines, pancreas, and the presence of chronic infectious diseases. And also those people who lead a sedentary lifestyle, do not monitor their diet, are prone to obesity, diet. Often, the disease occurs in pregnant women.
Symptoms of the disease
One of the main dangers of this ailment is that in the early stages it is almost asymptomatic. And it happens, when during the development of the disease, the appearance of stones in the gall bladder, no painful sensations arise. This is what is called asymptomatic stone carriage. In this case, an ailment can be detected only as a result of an X-ray examination.
But there are clear symptoms of cholelithiasis. These include attacks of severe pain in the right hypochondrium, vomiting, unpleasant bitterness in the mouth, and nausea. Often the disease is accompanied by inflammatory changes in the gallbladder itself and ducts leading to it.
The movement of stones on them can lead to severe attacks of biliary colic, which is also called hepatic. With colic, pain also occurs in the right hypochondrium, and from there the pain radiates to the shoulder or shoulder blade. Striking symptoms of cholelithiasis is also the fact that pain occurs after eating. It is during these periods that they can be accompanied by nausea and even profuse vomiting.
Diagnostic Methods
Diagnosis of cholelithiasis can only be carried out by highly qualified specialists. First of all, these are gastroenterologists, and surgeons will help to cope with the disease.
In a clinic with good technical equipment and diagnostic equipment, you are guaranteed to be given the correct diagnosis. To accurately determine your disease, you will need to undergo an ultrasound scan. This method is the main in the diagnosis of cholelithiasis. During an ultrasound of the abdominal organs, it will be possible to accurately determine whether stones are present in the gallbladder, as well as accurately determine their size and quantity, evaluate their shape, determine the size of the gallbladder itself, the deformation of its walls, the state in which the bile ducts are located.
Another effective method is computed tomography with contrast. This will allow your treating doctor to identify key signs of gallbladder inflammation, evaluate its functionality, and notice if a blockage of the bile ducts has occurred .
Also, experts advise to definitely pass general and biochemical blood tests. This will make it possible to identify other signs of inflammation, if any. Deep and comprehensive diagnostic studies help to establish concomitant diseases, determine the individual characteristics of patients. Only in this case, the doctor will be able to prescribe the optimal and effective course of treatment.
Fight against ailment
Treatment without surgery for cholelithiasis is considered the most preferred treatment. True, it can not always be used. For example, if the disease lasts a long time, irreversible inflammatory processes in the body have begun.
At the same time, there is an opinion that conservative therapy with this method is still ineffective. Due to the fact that the stones are in the gall bladder for a rather long time, and symptoms in the early stages of the disease often do not happen. As a result, this can lead to complications, the development of the inflammatory process. Therefore, as soon as the diagnosis is confirmed, it is necessary to immediately resort to treatment without gallstone surgery in order to try to cope with the disease without surgical intervention.
The methods are associated with the removal of stones, in the worst case, the disease can lead to the removal of the entire gall bladder.
Only your doctor can determine your treatment. He will evaluate your overall physical condition, as well as the degree of operational risk. There are several effective methods these days.
For example, litholytic therapy is often used. It consists in dissolving the stones that are in the gallbladder with all kinds of medications. It can be ursodeoxycholic acid or chenodeoxycholic acid. This method shows high efficiency in the treatment of patients whose stones mainly consist of cholesterol.
But this is not common. As a rule, stones have a mixed composition, in which one or another element rarely prevails. In more or less equal proportions, it contains proteins, all kinds of salts and bilirubin. So litholysis, which occurs without surgery, is possible in the treatment of only a fifth of patients who suffer from cholelithiasis.
In extreme cases, when inflammation has already begun to develop, you have to resort to a surgical method. It is always used when conservative methods show their inefficiency. The surgeon in this case performs an operation to remove the gallbladder. Nowadays, two methods are used in clinics - standard surgery and laparoscopic.
Overt signs
The most obvious sign of this disease is an attack of cholelithiasis. It is worth noting that at the very beginning only small stones are formed, so the inflammatory process, as a rule, does not occur. The manifestations of an attack in the early stages include hepatic colic, when unpleasant and painful sensations arise in the region of the right hypochondrium. In some cases, the pain can completely cover the entire right side.
Also, some patients experience chills, a low temperature may rise, and a slight bloating may occur.
Such an attack lasts about half an hour, after which the acute pain recedes, but the aching remains. Only after two or three hours will the pain go away completely. Characteristic seizures can occur at intervals of a quarter of an hour.
This pain with an attack of gallstone disease occurs due to stones formed in the gall bladder. The larger the size of the stones, the stronger the resulting pain.
In the later stages, complications of this disease are accompanied by symptoms such as prolonged and acute pain, pallor, rapid breathing, increased sweating. In this case, it is necessary to take tests for cholelithiasis.
Preventative measures
The most effective prophylaxis of cholelithiasis is diet. It is necessary to eat properly to avoid this ailment, but it is worth recognizing that often people do not think about such a danger at all, do not cherish their own gall bladder. After all, it is in it that bile is accumulated and stored for a long time - a liquid that helps our body absorb and digest fats.
At the same time, the gall bladder, unlike the liver, heart or kidneys, does not belong to vital and necessary organs, but when problems arise with it, it can significantly worsen your life.
At the same time, it must be emphasized that diet is not the main cause of the disease. You can not recover from it, just starting to eat right. There are many more factors, we have already mentioned most of them in this article.
Dieting and maintaining adequate weight is just a preventative measure that will help reduce the risks of cholelithiasis.
Healthy eating
So, the main recommendations for cholelithiasis are related to the need to eat healthy and balanced foods. A diet based on a low content of fats and cholesterol, as well as a moderate amount of calories with a high level of fiber, will not hurt. She will allow you to maintain the necessary weight.
Gallstone disease in the ICD (International Classifier of Diseases) has a code of K80. It is officially recognized all over the world. Everywhere she is given increased attention, because in the event of her development a person suffers severe physical suffering, in extreme cases a fatal outcome is possible.
The following is the basis of the diet for cholelithiasis, what can and cannot be consumed. The diet must include:
- a large number of fresh vegetables and fruits;
- it is best to stay on poultry, fish and lean meat;
- consume low-fat dairy products in large quantities;
- preference for whole grains - it can be brown rice, whole grain bread, bran or oats.
There are several medical studies that have helped determine which foods are capable of either completely preventing the development of cholelithiasis, or minimizing the likelihood of its occurrence. It was found that the risk of stone formation in the bile ducts significantly reduces the regular use of caffeinated coffee. This applies to both men and women.
The moderate use of alcohol also contributes to this. There is also research showing that women who eat a serving of peanuts per day are 20% less likely to remove the gallbladder compared to women who rarely or do not eat peanuts or peanut butter.
At the same time, scientists insist that modern factory foods saturated with fats and carbohydrates often lead to the development of this disease. During severe bouts of pain in gallstone disease, the body may try to remove bile while stones block its outflow. When you start to eat excessively fatty foods, the gallbladder contracts much faster.
It must be remembered that changing the diet does not completely relieve you of this ailment, but it can significantly alleviate the symptoms, and will also become an effective prevention.
What to do with cholelithiasis is described in detail in this article. It is important to try to completely exclude fast food, fried foods, whole milk and most dairy products (ice cream, cheese, butter), red fat meat, and factory-made confectionery (donuts, cookies, pies, waffles) from the diet.
Low calorie diets are also a big danger. If you are overweight, strive to reduce it gradually. No more than one kilogram per week. After all, only a balanced diet and uniform loads help to cope with stones in the gallbladder and ducts. If the diet is ineffective, consult a doctor immediately.
Contraindications
We have already considered the basis of the diet for cholelithiasis, which is possible with this ailment. Now we’ll discuss in more detail products that should be avoided.
First of all, these are eggs. They are best completely excluded from the diet. They have very high cholesterol. In addition, eggs belong to the group of strong allergens. This also makes the product a serious cause of irritation to the gallbladder.
You should not eat fatty fried meat, pork, red meat, sausages. It must be replaced with poultry. It is worth abandoning fatty fish, replacing it with non-greasy. Just remember to remove the skin from chicken or turkey and remove fat to prevent gallbladder irritation.
Avoid any fried foods. This is not only meat, potatoes and pies, but also fast food. Do not eat foods cooked in margarine, vegetable oil and animal fats. All this can only aggravate the disease. As an alternative, use ghee or red palm oil.
Refined foods should not be eaten. This is white bread, white rice, refined sugar. All this increases the percentage of cholesterol in bile.
Avoid dairy products. The danger is milk itself, as well as yogurt, cheeses, sour cream, cream, ice cream. They have a lot of animal fat, which provokes complications of cholelithiasis. As a last resort, buy low-fat dairy products. Whole cow's milk can be replaced with almond milk. So you can supply the body with the necessary calcium to maintain normal bones and teeth.
Do not eat processed foods. In them, as a rule, trans fats are present. In the store, of course, you can find manufacturers who do not use such additives, but for this you need to carefully study the composition on the package. If there is at least some doubt, just discard this product. First of all, this applies to potato chips, donuts, liver, various desserts.
Recipes for gallstone disease
In addition to effective medicines and drugs, there are a large number of folk recipes that will help if you can’t cope, then certainly minimize the consequences of cholelithiasis and will serve as a good preventive measure.
Given that all these are folk remedies, before you start taking them, be sure to consult your doctor. Many advise twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, to drink a decoction of medicinal herbs, which must include wormwood and field horsetail. One teaspoon of this mixture will be enough for one cup of water.
Another tip - juices with gallstone disease. The most effective is the radish juice. One glass of such a drink a day for two to three months will help you forget about problems with the gall bladder. By the way, you can mix it with red beet juice.
And in ancient times, cholelithiasis was often fought with lemon juice and olive oil.