Be aware of common gallbladder problems

CHENNAI: Gallbladder is one of the important organs, which is not cared as much as we care for heart, kidney and others. It is remembered only when something goes wrong. The gallbladder is located on the right upper area of the abdomen.

Bile duct is the tube that allow the bile to travel from liver to gallbladder and then to small intestine. The most common reason of blockage in the duct is stone formation. It can occur due to the alteration in concentration of bile, cholesterol & phospholipids.

The major symptom of gallbladder problem is abdominal pain. When the bile gets hardened or formed as gallstones the pathway gets blocked and you will develop pain right below the ribs and range from mild to unbearable. This pain may last for 30 mins to several hours, initially but at a later date, it can aggravate to continuous pain.

The person may also experience loss of appetite, tiredness, weight loss, yellowing of eyes and skin (jaundice) and dark urine. There can be temperature fluctuations, itching, night sweats, light or pale colored stools along with periodic pain in the right upper abdomen.

Gallstone formation is often unclear, but there are many reasons that increases the risk. Few coincides with the risk factors of gallbladder cancer too. It includes obesity, older age, high cholesterol, intake of estrogen pills of diabetes. If a doctor suspects of gallstone, blood test to analyze the bilirubin level, waste product in blood, pancreatic or liver enzyme levels and/or signs of infection is performed. Abdominal ultrasound and abdominal CT scan can also be done.

Medication will be recommended to reverse gallstones only when surgery is not an option. Surgery is performed as a final option. Open surgery will be the first option if the gallbladder disease is severe. If gallbladder cancer is detected, then your doctor may also recommend radiation or chemotherapy.