Gallstones - NHS

Gallstones are small stones, usually made of cholesterol, that form in the gallbladder. In most cases, they do not cause any symptoms and do not need to be ... Skiptomaincontent Home HealthAtoZ Backto HealthAtoZ Overview - Gallstones Contents Overview Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Complications Prevention Gallstonesaresmallstones,usuallymadeofcholesterol,thatforminthegallbladder.Inmostcases,theydonotcauseanysymptomsanddonotneedtobetreated. Symptomsofgallstones Gallstonesoftenhavenosymptoms.Butifagallstonebecomestrappedinanopening(duct)insidethegallbladder,itcantriggerasudden,intensepaininyourtummythatusuallylastsbetween1and5hours.Thistypeofabdominalpainisknownasbiliarycolic.Somepeoplewithgallstonescanalsodevelopcomplications,suchasinflammationofthegallbladder(cholecystitis).Thiscancause:persistentpainyellowingoftheskinandeyes(jaundice)ahightemperatureWhengallstonescausesymptomsorcomplications,it'sknownasgallstonediseaseorcholelithiasis. Thegallbladder Thegallbladderisasmallpouch-likeorganfoundunderneaththeliver.Itsmainpurposeistostoreandconcentratebile.Bileisaliquidproducedbythelivertohelpdigestfats.It'spassedfromtheliver intothegallbladder throughaseriesofchannelsknownasbileducts.Thebileisstoredinthegallbladderand,overtime,becomesmoreconcentrated,whichmakesitbetteratdigestingfats.Thegallbladderreleasesbileintothedigestivesystemwhenit'sneeded. Causesofgallstones Gallstonesarethoughttodevelopbecauseofanimbalanceinthechemicalmake-upofbileinsidethegallbladder.Inmostcasesthelevelsofcholesterolinbilebecometoohighandtheexcesscholesterolformsintostones.Gallstonesareverycommon.It'sestimatedmorethan 1inevery10adultsintheUK hasgallstones,althoughonly aminority of peopledevelopsymptoms.You'remoreatriskofdevelopinggallstonesifyou're:overweight orobesefemale (particularlyifyouhavehadchildren)40orover (theriskincreasesasyougetolder) Treatinggallstones Treatmentisusuallyonlynecessaryifgallstonesarecausing:symptoms, suchastummypaincomplications,suchasjaundiceoracutepancreatitisInthesecases,keyholesurgerytoremovethegallbladdermayberecommended. Thisprocedure, knownasalaparoscopiccholecystectomy,isrelativelysimple toperformandhasalowriskofcomplications.It'spossibletoleadanormallifewithoutagallbladder.Yourliverwillstillproducebiletodigestfood,but thebilewilldripcontinuouslyintothesmallintestine,ratherthan buildupinthegallbladder. Outlook Gallstonediseaseisusuallyeasilytreatedwithsurgery. Veryseverecasescanbelifethreatening,particularlyinpeoplewhoarealreadyinpoorhealth.Butdeathsfromgallstonedisease arerareintheUK. Video:gallstones Inthisvideo,adoctorexplainswhatgallstonesare,thesymptomsandthetreatmentoptions. Medialastreviewed:1May2021 Mediareviewdue:1May2024 Pagelastreviewed:19November2021 Nextreviewdue:19November2024 Next : Symptoms