What are the symptoms of gallstones? This is a common question. We will understand in this article. Gallstone disease is a rather unpleasant, and sometimes dangerous ailment. The origin of stones is the precipitation of some components of bile: protein, cholesterol, calcium salts, bile pigments. They lead to stagnation of bile, disrupt lipid metabolism and can even lead to infection. Symptoms of gallstones in women and men are jaundice and pain in the right hypochondrium.
They also occur in metabolic disorders in the body. It is such disorders that become the main cause of the origin of gallstone disease. The stones that have formed in the gallbladder can be located anywhere - in the bladder or in its ducts, possibly located in the liver, their shape and size can vary from the smallest (sand) to the largest.
The appearance of stones often becomes a sign of irritation of the organ mucosa, after which the development of a disease such as cholecystitis begins. Such stones in the gall bladder consist mainly of cholesterol crystals. And although until a certain time they may not bother a person at all, there is a possibility of clogging the duct.
Symptoms of gallstones are considered in this article.
Reasons for origin
Stones in the gallbladder and its ducts almost always occur due to a disorder in the composition of bile, especially its quantitative ratio. In this process, the solid elements of bile come out in the form of sediment, so that it is they who later grow and produce stones. Cholelithiasis is most often observed during an increase in cholesterol in bile (such bile is called lithogenic). A high amount of cholesterol in the gallbladder can be determined by various reasons that provoke these factors:
- excessive consumption of foods that contain cholesterol;
- a decrease in the concentration of bile acids in bile;
- a decrease in phospholipids (make precipitation difficult);
- violation, stagnation of the outflow of bile;
- obesity, overweight;
- in women, the most common factor is the use of female hormones (estrogens) and frequent childbirth;
- surgical interventions;
- concomitant diseases - cirrhosis, diabetes mellitus, Caroli syndrome, hemolytic anemia, Crohn's disease.
How is the formation of stones in the gallbladder? No symptoms, which is very dangerous.
Functional or mechanical genesis
Retention of bile in the gallbladder may exhibit a functional or mechanical genesis. With mechanical stagnation, an obstruction occurs in the path of outflow of bile. If there is a functional nature, then there is damage to the motility of the biliary tract. The reason for this origin is the inflammatory and infectious actions in the biliary system, also autoimmune conditions, a sedentary lifestyle, various types of allergies, poor appetite, pregnancy, endocrine diseases, injuries, and liver diseases contribute to this.
Symptoms of gallstones
Given the volume of stones and their location, this symptomatic picture of the disease may become different. The main signs that are detected in the presence of stones in the gallbladder are:
- pains coming from the right hypochondrium;
- malaise, weakness;
- nausea or vomiting
- fever;
- burping air with bitterness;
- jaundice;
- feces discoloration;
- heartburn;
- flatulence;
- bad taste in the mouth;
- unstable chair.
Symptoms of gallstones are rather unpleasant.
The main symptoms
The main one is acute pain under the right rib (localization of the gallbladder). Such characteristic sensations are called biliary colic. A sharp pain, which is cutting in nature, also gives off to the back, right shoulder and shoulder blade and to the right half of the neck. From time to time, the pain has the peculiarity of spreading to the region of the heart and causes an angina attack. Such feelings often arise due to eating fried, greasy and spicy foods, drinking alcohol, increased physical or stress. The pathogenesis of the origin of pain is reflex spasms of the smooth muscles of the gallbladder and ducts, stone irritation of the walls of the gallbladder or in case of stretching of its walls and an excess of bile accumulated in it.
What other symptoms of gallstones are possible?
Full clogging
Complete blockage of the bile duct leads to a significant expansion of the hepatic bile ducts, which is the reason for the enlargement of the liver and the expansion of its capsule, which contains many pain receptors. Their defeat contributes to the feeling of incessant aching pain in the right hypochondrium and heaviness.
Nausea and vomiting
Often a symptom of gallstones in men and women is nausea and vomiting. And they, unfortunately, do not allow the patient to feel relief. This is a reflex reaction to irritation of the conditioned area of the duodenum. During the spread of the damaging process to the pancreas, uncontrollable vomiting with an admixture of bile appears. A person's body temperature may rise, which is a sign of intoxication. If stones clog the lumen of the bile duct, jaundice develops, followed by discoloration of feces. If the stones in the gallbladder are located for a long time, then there is a constant trauma to the mucosa, which can cause inflammation - calculous cholecystitis, characterized by fever, decreased appetite, fatigue.
Diagnosis of the disease
If the patient came to the doctor with complaints of periodic pain under the right rib, as well as with symptoms of nausea, vomiting and fever, a competent specialist will certainly guess what caused this reaction. The patient may be asked to take the prescribed tests and undergo the necessary studies, which I can either confirm or deny the pathology of the organ. Diagnosis of the disease consists of these stages:
- Ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity, an x-ray may be prescribed. This technique allows you to see the transformation of the organ.
- Blood analysis. A high white blood cell count may indicate an inflammatory process.
- Duodenal sounding. To detect the composition of bile, the presence of white blood cells and mucus. It can determine what served the development of pathology.
- MRI It is performed in cases where the doctor suggests that the stones in the gallbladder are no more than 2 mm, and it will be problematic to diagnose them in another way.
- Fine needle biopsy. It is performed exclusively if cancer abnormalities are suspected.
If the diagnosis is nevertheless confirmed, the patient is prescribed the necessary treatment and adherence to a certain diet. If stones larger than 10 mm in diameter are detected in the gallbladder, then the only way out is surgery.
Symptoms of gallstones are important to be able to recognize on time.
Causes of an attack
It is very important for each person who has been diagnosed with this disease to know what factors are signs of a sudden attack:
- the development of diseases that are accompanied by an inflammatory process, for example - hepatitis or cholangitis;
- pancreas inflammation;
- the use of large amounts of fatty and fried foods;
- the use of alcohol;
- helminthic invasion;
- stress;
- ARVI.
Some experts believe that in rare cases, seizures can occur without any apparent reason.
Effective treatment without surgery
Since pain in gallstone disease can be very unbearable, you need to know how to remove them yourself.
Here are some of the most effective methods:
- If there are pains in the gallbladder, tea based on chamomile, hypericum and peppermint will help relieve pain. It must be taken in a warm form.
- To reduce the seizure, high-quality anabolics can help, the attending physician will help you choose the most effective. Modern drugs can have a very good effect, because they will help calm an irritated organ in just a couple of hours, and will also help fight the inflammatory process.
- If the area of the gallbladder hurts, you can drink a glass of fresh vegetable juice. It is better to cook from carrot, cucumber and beetroot juice (must be mixed in the same proportions). It will not immediately become easier, but after two hours the patient will feel relief. It is recommended to drink twice a day for 15 days, so you can not only avoid the onset of attacks, but also cleanse the body well.
- Pain with gallstone disease can be relieved by a glass of water drunk at night, if you dilute the salt in it (a tablespoon of salt in 250 ml of water).
- Also, lemon juice can have a very good effect. It must be consumed in diluted form or mixed with vegetable oil (drink a tablespoon twice a day).
These methods of non-surgical treatment of gallstone disease are indeed very effective, and some of them can even be combined with each other.
We examined the symptoms of stones in the ducts of the gallbladder, but what is the main therapy?
Organ removal operation
If stones are located in the gallbladder, but there are no pronounced clinical symptoms and any complications of the disease, then there is no need for special treatment. But doctors are beginning to take wait and see tactics. With the appearance of severe chronic or acute calculous cholecystitis, surgical treatment is necessary, the main purpose of which is the removal of the gallbladder.
Stone destruction
Today, medicine has a large number of treatment methods that do not affect the integrity of the gallbladder and bile ducts. This can be achieved by liquefying stones using specific formulations containing acids. But with such treatment, after some time, stones in the gallbladder can again form.
Shock-wave lithotripsy destroys stones in the gallbladder and ducts very well. This method is very often used to crush single stones in patients who do not have concomitant inflammation of the gallbladder or ducts.
Conservative treatment of cholecystolysis during remission is based on a rational diet and regimen, a mobile lifestyle, constant oral administration of drugs that help break down stones.
Diet for symptoms of gallstones
In addition to taking medications, how can gallstone disease be cured? Proper nutrition in small portions is essential. It is also imperative to limit the amount of food taken, to remove fried, fatty and spicy foods rich in cholesterol and capable of causing colic attacks from daily food. Systematic eating of fiber (fruits, vegetables) is highly recommended. Patients are advised to exercise moderately (it will improve the outflow of bile), if overweight is present - bring it back to normal, if endocrine diseases are detected - start treating them on time. If the disease comes along with infectious diseases, the patient is recommended to take antibiotics for symptoms of gallstones. Treatment without surgery is now becoming more popular.
Preparations
In parallel with this, the following funds are accepted:
- stimulators of secretion of bile acids - "Zixorin" and "Phenobarbital";
- drugs that help normalize the composition of bile - "Liobil", "Ursofalk";
- drugs with enzymes that improve digestion, especially lipid processing - “Creon”.
For pain associated with gallbladder contraction, patients need to take various muscle relaxants: Drotaverin, No-shpa, Platafilin, Metacin, Drotaverin, Pirenzipin.
Lithotripsy
As the size of the stones in the gallbladder increases, lithotripsy or surgery is required for the treatment of the patient.
Lithotripsy is needed when large and multiple stones, persistent bouts of pain, and concomitant diseases are detected. Drug lithotripsy is prescribed along with the Henofalk and Henochol preparations, which can be taken for a very long time - for decades. With this treatment, large stones in the gallbladder are crushed to a smaller size, after which their excess is dissolved using oral medications. Surgical treatment is recommended for patients in whom the disease can be accompanied by frequent relapses and bouts of acute pain, very large sizes of stones, fever, and various complications. Surgery can be performed in open form and laparoscopic. A suitable option for surgical treatment is prescribed for each patient individually.
We examined how the stones in the gall bladder manifest themselves. Symptoms, treatment, surgery are described.