Gallbladder Disease

The gallbladder stores bile, a liquid that plays an important role in digesting fat. When you eat anything that contains fat, bile moves into the digestive system to help break it down and make it easier to process.

Gallbladder disease could be considered any condition which disrupts or disables this process.

Gallbladder disease may be caused by inflammation, an infection, obstruction of bile flow, or the formation of gallstones. In some cases, problems can be serious enough to require surgery to remove the gallbladder.

People get more prone to gallbladder disease as they age.

Common types of gallbladder disease

Gallstones

Gallstones are probably the most well-known type of gallbladder disease. There are two kinds of gallstones.

Cholesterol stone 4 out of 5 people who have gallstones have the cholesterol type. You get a cholesterol gallstone when there's too much cholesterol in your gallbladder. The excess cholesterol hardens into greenish-yellow or white pebbles. There may be one large stone, or many smaller ones. Some gallstones are as fine as a grain of sand.

Pigment stone This kind of gallstone forms when red blood cells break down. A pigment stone is a small, dark stone made of bilirubin, which is part of the bile in the gallbladder.

Although cholesterol stones are more common, it's possible to a pigment stone at the same time, or even a combination of both.

The gallbladder attack

It's a little bit of a stretch to classify a gallbladder attack as a "disease." But it definitely fits the definition of a gallbladder problem.

Gallbladder attacks occur when the gallbladder becomes inflamed. This causes severe pain in the upper right side of the chest, and sometimes between the shoulder blades.

A gallbladder attack is usually a symptom that something else is wrong in the gallbladder. If gallbladder function is compromised somehow, and the gallbladder doesn't empty when it should or as often as it should, a gallbladder attack can result. Attacks may also happen when too much bile accumulates in the gallbladder.

A gallbladder attack is also called "cholecystitis."

Gallbladder cancer

Gallbladder cancer can start either in the gallbladder or the bile duct. Gallbladder cancer and bile duct cancer are relatively uncommon.

Cancer that starts in the gallbladder is known as adenocarcinoma. It usually develops quickly and may penetrate far into the gallbladder wall. It can also spread to the liver and lymph nodes, and block the bile duct.

Bile duct cancer, which is also known as cholangiocarcinoma, begins in the bile duct between the liver and the small intestine.

Gallbladder disease is considered to be a serious health threat, even though the gallbladder is not essential to sustaining life. The gallbladder can be removed and the liver will still supply enough bile to sufficiently process food.

Anyone who has any of the symptoms of gallbladder disease should seek medical attention.

Also see gallbladder disease symptoms and types of gallbladder disease.