Definition & Facts for Gallstones | NIDDK

Gallstones are hard, pebble-like pieces of material, usually made of cholesterol or bilirubin, that form in your gallbladder. Gallstones can range in size ... Home HealthInformation DigestiveDiseases Gallstones Definition&Facts RelatedTopics English English Español Gallstones Definition&Facts Symptoms&Causes Dieting Diagnosis Treatment Eating,Diet,&Nutrition Definition&FactsforGallstones Inthissection: Whataregallstones? Dogallstoneshaveanothername? Whatisthebiliarytract? Howcommonaregallstones? Whoismorelikelytodevelopgallstones? Whatarethecomplicationsofgallstones? Whataregallstones? Gallstonesarehard,pebble-likepiecesofmaterial,usuallymadeofcholesterolorbilirubin,thatforminyourgallbladder.Gallstonescanrangeinsizefromagrainofsandtoagolfball.Thegallbladdercanmakeonelargegallstone,hundredsoftinystones,orbothsmallandlargestones. Whengallstonesblockthebileductsofyourbiliarytract,thegallstonescancausesuddenpaininyourupperrightabdomen.Thispainiscalledagallbladderattack,orbiliarycolic.Ifyoursymptomscontinueandthey’releftuntreated,gallstonescancauseseriouscomplications. However,mostgallstonesdon’tcauseblockagesandarepainless,alsocalled“silent”gallstones.Silentgallstonesusuallydon’tneedmedicaltreatment. Typesofgallstones Thetwomaintypesofgallstonesare cholesterolstones pigmentstones Cholesterolstonesareusuallyyellow-greenincolorandaremadeofmostlyhardenedcholesterol.Insomecountries,cholesterolstonesmakeupabout75percentofgallstones.1 Pigmentstonesaredarkincolorandaremadeofbilirubin.Somepeoplehaveamixofbothkindsofstones. Gallstonescanrangeinsizefromagrainofsandtoagolfball. Dogallstoneshaveanothername? Cholelithiasisisthenamedoctorssometimescallgallstones. Whatisthebiliarytract? Yourbiliarytract,whichismadeupofyourgallbladderandbileducts,helpswithdigestionbyreleasingbile. Thegallbladderisasmall,pear-shapedorganthatstoresbileandislocatedinyourupperrightabdomen,belowyourliver. Thebileductsofyourbiliarytractincludethehepaticducts,commonbileduct,andcysticduct.Bileductsalsocarrywasteanddigestivejuicesfromtheliverandpancreastotheduodenum. Yourliverproducesbile,whichismostlymadeofcholesterol,bilesalts,andbilirubin.Yourgallbladderstoresthebileuntilit’sneeded.Whenyoueat,yourbodysignalsyourgallbladdertoemptybileintoyourduodenumtomixwithfood.Thebileductscarrythebilefromyourgallbladdertotheduodenum. Yourbiliarytract,whichismadeupofyourgallbladderandbileducts,helpswithdigestionbyreleasingbile. Howcommonaregallstones? Gallstonesareverycommon,affecting10to15percentoftheU.S.population,whichisalmost25millionpeople.Aboutaquarterofthenearly1millionpeoplediagnosedwithgallstoneseachyearwillneedtobetreated,usuallywithsurgery.2 Whoismorelikelytodevelopgallstones? Certaingroupsofpeoplehaveahigherriskofdevelopinggallstonesthanothers.3 Womenaremorelikelytodevelopgallstonesthanmen.Womenwhohaveextraestrogenintheirbodyduetopregnancy,hormonereplacementtherapy,orbirthcontrolpillsmaybemorelikelytoproducegallstones. Olderpeoplearemorelikelytodevelopgallstones.Asyouage,thechancethatyou’lldevelopgallstonesbecomeshigher. Peoplewithafamilyhistoryofgallstoneshaveahigherrisk. AmericanIndianshavegenesthatraisetheamountofcholesterolintheirbile,andhavethehighestrateofgallstonesintheUnitedStates. MexicanAmericansarealsoathigherriskofdevelopinggallstones. AmericanIndianshavegeneticfactorsthatmakethemmorelikelytodevelopgallstones. Peoplewithcertainhealthconditions Youaremorelikelytodevelopgallstonesifyouhaveoneofthefollowinghealthconditions: cirrhosis,aconditioninwhichyourliverslowlybreaksdownandstopsworkingduetochronic,orlong-lasting,injury infectionsinthebileducts,whichcanalsobeacomplicationofgallstones hemolyticanemias,conditionsinwhichredbloodcellsarecontinuouslybrokendown,suchassicklecellanemia someintestinaldiseasesthataffectnormalabsorptionofnutrients,suchasCrohn’sdisease hightriglyceridelevels lowHDLcholesterol metabolicsyndrome,whichcanalsoraisetheriskofgallstonecomplications diabetesandinsulinresistance Peoplewithdiet-andweight-relatedhealthconcerns Youaremorelikelytodevelopgallstonesifyou haveobesity,especiallyifyouareawoman havehadfastweightloss,likefromweight-losssurgery havebeenonadiethighincaloriesandrefinedcarbohydratesandlowinfiber Learnmoreaboutdietingandgallstones. Whatarethecomplicationsofgallstones? Complicationsofgallstonescaninclude inflammationofthegallbladder severedamagetoorinfectionofthegallbladder,bileducts,orliver gallstonepancreatitis,whichisinflammationofthepancreasduetoagallstoneblockage Manypeopledonothavesymptomsofgallstonesuntiltheyhavecomplications. Ifleftuntreated,gallstonescanbedeadly.Treatmentforgallstonesusuallyinvolvesgallstonesurgery. References [1]PortincasaP,WangDQ-H.Gallstones.In:Podolsky,DK,CamilleriM,FitzJG,Kalloo,AN,ShanahanF,Wang,TC,eds.Yamada’sTextbookofGastroenterology.Volume2.6thedition.Hoboken,NJ:Wiley-Blackwell;2015:1808–1834. [2]Gallstones.AmericanGastroenterologicalAssociationwebsite.http://www.gastro.org/patient-care/conditions-diseases/gallstones.AccessedNovember27,2017. [3]PortincasaP,WangDQ-H.Gallstones.In:Podolsky,DK,CamilleriM,FitzJG,Kalloo,AN,ShanahanF,Wang,TC,eds.Yamada’sTextbookofGastroenterology.Volume2.6thedition.Hoboken,NJ:Wiley-Blackwell;2015:1808–1834. 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