Gallstones: Causes, signs and complications

Gallstones are a disease with an increasing incidence due to an unscientific lifestyle. The disease that causes chronic dull pain is easily confused with stomach pain or kidney stones. So what is gallstones, is it dangerous or not?

Gallstones are hard particles formed by an imbalance between cholesterol, calcium salts and bilirubin in the blood. Gallstones occur inside the gallbladder just below the liver and to the right of the abdomen. If not treated promptly, the disease will turn into infection, cancer, ... which are dangerous to health, even life.

Common gallstones images

The cause of gallstones
1. The cause is due to a material imbalance
There is too much cholesterol in the bile: They will form a characteristic yellow-colored cholesterol stone. If the liver is high in cholesterol, it will create more stones in the bile.

There is too much bilirubin in the bile: Bilirubin is a substance made when liver cells are damaged or damaged. Excess bilirubin will form gallstones with dark black color.

The gallbladder has too much bile, which leads to condensation, which can indirectly form stones that accumulate in the gallbladder.

2. Cause due to pathology
- Patients who are diabetic, triglyceride content will increase and make patients prone to gallstones.
- Patients who are obese, overweight will increase cholesterol in the blood, in the liver. This increases the risk of cholesterol gallstones.
- Patients are worried, stress for a long time makes mental fatigue, metabolism decrease, creating conditions for the disease to form.

- Patients with congenital hemolytic disorders.

Obesity increases the risk of gallstones

3. Cause due to nutrition
- An unscientific diet, excess or deficiency can cause gallstones
- Absorb many foods which are not good for liver and bile
- Drink less water, causing the residue in the body to form stones.
- Using tobacco, alcohol, stimulant to cause destruction of liver and bile cells

Common signs and symptoms of gallstones

- The body always feels nauseous and uncomfortable
- Urine is darker, darker than usual
- Or stomach, indigestion
- Frequent pain in epigastrium
- Dull pain, lasting for hours
- The stool is dark, dark brown
- Pain gets worse after eating, even at bedtime
- When bilirubin gallstones, the skin of the patient will become more yellow
- Fever, body chills if infected by complications of gallstones

Gallstones can cause an upset stomach and indigestion

Is gallstone dangerous? Complications of the disease
Gallstones are an extremely common and easily acquired disease, accounting for a higher proportion than visceral diseases. If not treated promptly, the disease will become dangerous and cause many complications affecting health. Possible complications of gallstones include:

1. Acute cholecystitis
When gallstones block the bile duct where bile moves from the gallbladder, it can cause inflammation and infection in the gallbladder. This is called acute cholecystitis, which is also the most dangerous complication of gallstones. Gallbladder can now be necrotic, leaking bile causing serious injury to the body, even death.

2. Purulent inflammation in the bile ducts
Gallstones can cause inflammation of the bile ducts. Thereby creating abscesses in the liver causing severe liver damage. However, the disease usually appears in people aged 60 and older and is not too dangerous if detected early.

3. Pancreatitis
In addition to causing infection, gallstones also block the passage of bile fluid. Since then, the amount of bile flowing down the pancreas is reduced, causing pancreatitis to occur.

Directions for effective treatment of gallstones

1. Drug treatment
Using antibiotics: Helps reduce infections, including Aminosid, quinolon, ...
Use pain medicine: Help reduce the pain caused by gallstones, relax muscles and reduce spasm of the biliary tract
Use anti-inflammatory medications: Help fight bacterial infections caused by gallstones
Medicines that dissolve stones: Helps to wear away and dissolve stones in the body. Strictly follow the instructions of the doctor to use.

2. Surgery to remove gallstones
Laparoscopic surgery to remove gallstones is a common treatment currently available to treat severe illness that cannot be treated with medication. When indicated surgery, patients can be assured because laparoscopic surgery is very safe, less likely to cause complications and the cost is not too high. Current cost of gallstone surgery in our country ranges from 5 to 10 million.

Endoscopic surgery can treat gallstones effectively

3. Other precautions
- Always keep your weight at a stable level, avoid overweight
- A sufficient and reasonable diet
- Drink enough water that your body needs during the day
- Exercise regularly enhances resistance and metabolism in the body
- If there are signs of abnormalities, must immediately go to the medical examination and treatment facility for timely treatment.

Gallstones disease fasting, what to eat and drink?

- Should eat more fruits and vegetables, fruits contain more fiber and vitamins to help digest food easily, improve the body's resistance.
- Always drink enough water that your body needs every day to neutralize the residues, toxins to eliminate from the body easily.
- Can use milk to improve health. However, you need to choose low-fat, skim milk for better health.
- Use vegetable oil instead of animal fat to increase the fat is beneficial to the body.
Limit your intake of high-protein foods to avoid uric stone formation.
- Limit salt intake because it is easy to develop gallstones, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Fasting and eating fast food and fried foods to reduce cholesterol in the body.