Gallbladder pain: causes and treatment

Causes of Gallbladder Pain

Gallbladder pains usually occur from certain quite specific reasons. They will be mentioned and described below.

1. Gallstones and tumors

Gallstones are hard pieces that are usually called stones, formed by material where cholesterol, proteins, minerals and mucin predominate. The presence of small stones in the gallbladder is called “biliary lithiasis” and produce discomfort (such as acute pain) depending on the magnitude of them.

On the other hand, tumors are less frequent and can be both malignant and benign. The symptoms gradually worsen and are detected through ultrasound. These can cause obstruction in the bile ducts.

Note: If tumors in the gallbladder are malignant, they are characterized by a high mortality rate.

2. Bile duct obstruction

Bile duct obstructions usually occur, as previously mentioned, due to tumors or cysts. In these cases, bile accumulates in the liver and for this reason it can lead to jaundice (yellow coloration of the skin) as one of its main symptoms. (1)

This type of obstruction has a simple treatment, as long as it is identified in time, because a prolongation of the obstruction can develop other types ofpotentially seriousliver diseases .

Note: This type of obstruction, even in a small quantity, usually leads to the appearance of digestive disorders or diseases.

3. Blood vessel disorders

There are two extremely important blood vessels (Portal Vein and Hepatic Artery), which function as conduits and allow the liver to receive both oxygen and nutrients. A disorder that produces dilation in these vessels, leads to the appearance of cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder) due to decreased blood flow.

Gallbladder pain complications

After the appearance of the potential reasons for gallbladder pain, there are also certain complications that may be a consequence of ignoring the symptoms presented. For this reason, they will be listed below for your consideration.

1. Infections

Infections can occur due to the persistence of cholecystitis, mainly due to the inflammation present and the possible accumulation of bile in that area of the body, when it should flow to the small intestine.

2. Drilling

Gallbladder perforation is usually a complication of acute cholecystitis,with a mortality rate of approximately 70% of people. Especially when the diagnosis is late.

3. Gangrene

As we previously mentioned, there is a type of disorder in the blood vessels that can reduce the flow of blood in the gallbladder, for which reason it stops working and death of organic tissue occurs.

Note: This can happen as a result of serious infections, injuries, surgeries, and trauma.

What is good for gallbladder pain?

Gallbladder pain occurs in episodes that tend to last several hours,so there are certain treatments that reduce symptoms, even when the indicated treatment is gallbladder removal to minimize risks. They are listed and described below.

1. Antibiotic and analgesic drugs

Analgesics and antibiotics are aimed at reducing symptoms and risk reduction , because in addition to relieving pain, they have the ability to reduce inflammation and fight infection, producing a significant effect on the patient. (two)

2. Gallbladder removal surgery

It is called cholecystectomy and it is an intervention with small incisions that allows the extraction of this organ, which is why it is considered minimally invasive and well tolerated by the people who require it. (3)

Key Findings

• Gallbladder pain is usually the result of some disorder present in the organ, be they stones, obstructions or even problems with the correct flow of blood.
• Gallbladder tumors can be benign or malignant, but they always require surgical intervention.
• are applied