Gall bladder conditions
Gall bladder conditions: Introduction
Gallbladder conditions include gallstones, cholecystitis, and gallbladder cancer. Gallbladder conditions are also referred to as gallbladder disease.
The gallbladder is an organ that is a part of the digestive system and is located in the upper right side of the abdomen under the liver. The pear-shaped gallbladder is a hollow sac that concentrates and stores the digestive substance bile, which is produced by the liver.
Bile flows from the liver into the gallbladder for storage. When food is eaten, the gallbladder squeezes the stored bile into the cystic duct and down the common bile duct into the duodenum of the small intestine where bile works to help digest food.
The most common gallbladder condition is gallstones. Gallstones are hard deposits that are similar to pebbles or stones that can develop in the gallbladder and cause gallbladder conditions. Gallstones can also become lodged within a cystic duct or bile duct and cause pain, illness and possibly complications.
A gallstone that becomes trapped or stuck in the cystic duct can cause inflammation of the gallbladder, called cholecystitis. When a gallstone passes out of the gallbladder and through the cystic duct but becomes trapped or stuck in the common bile duct, it causes a gallbladder condition called choledocholithiasis. Choledocholithiasis is a potentially serious complication of some gallbladder conditions.
Gallbladder cancer is a gallbladder conditions that is rare type of cancer. Gallbladder cancer is most common in women and in people who have had a history of gallstones or other gallbladder conditions.
Typical symptoms of gallbladder conditions include severe epigastric pain, abdominal pain, ride sided abdominal pain, and/or pain that radiates around the right rib cage and into the back. A commonly used general term used for the pain caused by gallbladder conditions is biliary colic.
Some people with gallbladder conditions may have no symptoms or problems at all. However, in some cases, gallbladder conditions can result in serious, even life-threatening complications, such as pancreatitis, biliary cirrhosis, peritonitis and cholangitis. For more information on symptoms and complications, refer to symptoms of gallbladder conditions.
Making a diagnosis of gallbladder conditions begins with taking a thorough medical history, including symptoms. A physical examination is also performed, which may reveal tenderness of the upper right abdomen when it is palpated or touched.
Diagnostic testing may include imaging, such as ultrasound scan, which will detect and locate any gallstones. A nuclear scan called a hepatobiliary scan can check for any obstruction of the gallbladder or for cholecystitis. A CT or MRI of the abdomen may be performed if gallbladder cancer is suspected or to rule it out.
Tests are also generally done to determine the health and level of functioning of the liver. This includes a blood test called a liver panel. Blood tests may also be done to help determine the health of the pancreas, which can be seriously affected by gallstones, which can cause pancreatitis in some cases.
It is possible that a diagnosis of gallbladder conditions can be missed because some people have no symptoms. If there are symptoms, they may be attributed to other conditions with similar symptoms. For more information on misdiagnosis, refer to misdiagnosis of gallbladder conditions.
The treatment for gallbladder conditions varies depending on the specific condition, the severity of the symptoms, the presence of complications, and an individual's medical history. Gallbladder conditions that are causing pain or biliary colic are treated with pain medications, and surgery may be recommended to have the gallbladder removed. For more information on treatment, refer to treatment of gallbladder conditions. ...more »
Gall bladder conditions: Any condition that affects the gallbladder.
More detailed information about the symptoms,
causes, and treatments of Gall bladder conditions is available below.
Gall bladder conditions: Symptoms
The types and severity of symptoms of gallbladder conditions vary depending on the specific type of gallbladder disease, medical history, coexisting diseases, the presence of complications and individual factors.
Many people have no symptoms of gallbladder conditions, especially gallstones or gallbladder cancer, and may be totally unaware that they have gallbladder ...more symptoms »
Gall bladder conditions: Treatments
The goals of treatment of gallbladder conditions are to control symptoms, such as abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting, and minimize the risk of developing serious complications, such as pancreatitis, biliary cirrhosis, metastatic cancer, and cholangitis. The most effective treatment plan for gallbladder conditions uses a multifaceted ...more treatments »
Gall bladder conditions: Misdiagnosis
A diagnosis of gallbladder conditions may be delayed or missed because some symptoms, such as epigastric pain, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting can attributed to many other conditions as such as gastroenteritis, heart attack, hiatal hernia, indigestion or peptic ulcer. It is important to seek prompt medical care if you experience any symptoms of gallbladder conditions ...more misdiagnosis »
Symptoms of Gall bladder conditions
See full list of 7
symptoms of Gall bladder conditions
Home Diagnostic Testing
Home medical testing related to Gall bladder conditions:
- Food Allergies & Intolerances: Home Testing:
- more...»
Wrongly Diagnosed with Gall bladder conditions?
Gall bladder conditions: Related Patient Stories
Gall bladder conditions: Deaths
Read more about Deaths and Gall bladder conditions.
Types of Gall bladder conditions
See full list of 13
Types of Gall bladder conditions
Causes of Gall bladder conditions
Read more about causes of Gall bladder conditions.
More information about causes of Gall bladder conditions:
Disease Topics Related To Gall bladder conditions
Research the causes of these diseases that are similar to, or related to, Gall bladder conditions:
Gall bladder conditions: Undiagnosed Conditions
Commonly undiagnosed diseases in related medical categories:
Misdiagnosis and Gall bladder conditions
Chronic digestive conditions often misdiagnosed: When diagnosing chronic symptoms
of the digestive tract, there are a variety of conditions that may be...read more »
Intestinal bacteria disorder may be hidden cause: One of the lesser known causes of diarrhea
is an imbalance of bacterial in the gut, sometimes called intestinal...read more »
Antibiotics often causes diarrhea: The use of antibiotics are very likely
to cause some level of diarrhea in patients.
The reason is that antibiotics kill off not only "bad" bacteria,
but can also kill the "good"...read more »
Food poisoning may actually be an infectious disease: Many people who come down
with "stomach symptoms" like diarrhea assume that it's "something I ate" (i.e. food poisoning).
In fact, it's more likely to be an infectious...read more »
Mesenteric adenitis misdiagnosed as appendicitis in children: Because appendicitis is one of the
more feared conditions for a child with abdominal pain, it can be over-diagnosed
...read more »
Celiac disease often fails to be diagnosed cause of chronic digestive symptoms: One of the most common chronic digestive
conditions is celiac disease, a malabsorption disorder with a variety of symptoms (see symptoms of
celiac...read more »
Chronic digestive diseases hard to diagnose: There is an inherent
difficulty in diagnosing the various types of chronic digestive diseases.
Some of the better known possibilities are peptic ulcer, colon cancer, ...read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Gall bladder conditions
Gall bladder conditions: Research Doctors & Specialists
Research related physicians and medical specialists:
Other doctor, physician and specialist research services:
Hospitals & Clinics: Gall bladder conditions
Research quality ratings and patient safety measures
for medical facilities in specialties related to Gall bladder conditions:
Hospital & Clinic quality ratings »
Choosing the Best Hospital:
More general information, not necessarily in relation to Gall bladder conditions,
on hospital performance and surgical care quality:
Gall bladder conditions: Rare Types
Rare types of diseases and disorders in related medical categories:
Latest Treatments for Gall bladder conditions
See full list of 8
latest treatments for Gall bladder conditions
Gall bladder conditions: Animations
More Gall bladder conditions animations & videos
Prognosis for Gall bladder conditions
More about prognosis of Gall bladder conditions
Research about Gall bladder conditions
Visit our research pages for current research about Gall bladder conditions treatments.
Clinical Trials for Gall bladder conditions
The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally
and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.
Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Gall bladder conditions include:
See full list of 43
Clinical Trials for Gall bladder conditions
Statistics for Gall bladder conditions
Gall bladder conditions: Broader Related Topics
Types of Gall bladder conditions
Gall bladder conditions Message Boards
Related forums and medical stories:
User Interactive Forums
Read about other experiences, ask a question about Gall bladder conditions, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:
Contents for Gall bladder conditions:
User Surveys and Discussion Forums
