Hernias & Gallstones

Gallstones are hard deposits, often made of cholesterol and bile salts; formed inside the gallbladder or bile duct. They can be as small as sand or as large as pearls. They can vary in size or numbers. There are several types of stone, but typical composition of stones is cholesterol, pigment and calcium.

Cause of stones

Stones can develop at any age but chances increase as you get older. You are at more risk of developing stones if you are female and overweight, over 40 years of age, women with multiple pregnancies, and if you have high cholesterol levels, diabetes or family history of gallstones.

Gallstones symptoms

The majority of people with gallstones do not have any symptoms and stones are diagnosed incidentally. So you might not be aware that you have them. However gallbladder attacks can develop over time, can be very painful and progressively get worse. The most common symptoms of gallstones are biliary colic (pain in the right upper abdomen, back or shoulder blade), indigestion, bloating, belching, sickness, vomiting, etc. Usually you get these symptoms after eating heavy food.

Gallstones complications

In addition, stones can cause further problems such as cholecystitis, jaundice or pancreatitis.

• Cholecystitis is inflammation of gallbladder caused by gallstones. Typically you get severe pain at right upper abdomen accompanied with temperature, shiver and sweating.
• Jaundice (yellowness of your skin or the whites of your eyes) develops if a gallstone blocks your bile duct. Usually it’s accompanied by itchy skin, dark urine or pale urine together with biliary colic.
• Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas gland when pancreatic enzyme secretion builds up and starts to digests the organ itself. Stones are the most common cause of pancreatitis.

All these complications are serious. If you experience any of them visit a doctor urgently.