Gallbladder Polyps Symptoms And Treatment

Gallbladder Polyps

Human gallbladder polyps are rarely malignant (that is, cancerous) but they can be. The size of a gallbladder polyp is the best indicator of whether cancer is present or not. If it is smaller than 1 centimeter, it is probably benign (non-cancerous). If it is larger than 1 centimeter however, it's more likely that cancer is present, although this is the case only about 5 percent of the time. Gallbladder polyps occur in approximately 1 in 25 patients who have gallbladder pain.

Gallbladder polyps causes How do you get gallbladder polyps? Medical researchers have not been able to discover the exact gallbladder polyps causes. But is it known that gallbladder polyps are more likely to occur in people who have gallstones, and in patients who are 50 years of age or older.

Five different gallbladder polyps types have been categorized.

• Cholesterosis, which is the most common. This type is partially formed from cholesterol.
• Adenocarcinoma - This is the type that's cancerous.

The other three types of gallbladder polyps are known as hyperplastic, adenomyomatosis, and cholecystosis.

Gallbladder polyps symptoms Gallbladder polyps symptoms rarely present themselves, and gallbladder polyps pain is unusual. Sometimes, however, gallbladder polyps will cause mild tenderness or pain in the upper right abdomen. This pain may come and go, or it may be steady.

If pain is severe, it's probably gallstone pain, not polyps pain. Gallbladder polyps are often found by accident when your doctor is looking for other gallbladder problems. Polyps can be discovered during a simple ultrasound examination. Once gallbladder polyps are found, however, your doctor may recommend follow-up examinations to make sure they're not cancerous.

Gallbladder polyps treatment Gallbladder polyps treatment usually isn't necessary. However, if you are one of the "lucky few" who experience gallbladder pain because of polyps, your doctor may recommend gallbladder removal surgery. This is especially likely if you also have gallstones.

Gallbladder removal surgery is also known as a cholecystectomy. Since you can live without your gallbladder, this is not likely to affect your quality of life or longevity. If gallbladder polyps are your only problem, and they're not causing pain, you probably won't need any treatment.

As mentioned above, the most common types of gallbladder polyps form from cholesterol. If you want to avoid gallbladder polyps, the recommended food for you is cholesterol free food and cholesterol-lowering food. See our related article on a low fat gallbladder diet plan.

Rich, fatty foods, along with caffeine and alcohol contribute to gallbladder problems and promote the formation of gallbladder polyps.