Gallbladder pain

Gallbladder pain may bother patients after the disease has already developed in full swing. There may be no symptoms at the initial stages of gallbladder disease. For example, there may be no pain when gallstones are forming and growing. Therefore, at the slightest sign of pain, you should consult a doctor for a detailed diagnosis of the gallbladder. This will help prevent the disease and begin treating it in time.

Causes of Gallbladder Pain

Gallbladder pain is almost always caused by one of two things: gallstones or cholecystitis. Gallstones that form in the gallbladder range in size from a millimeter to several centimeters. Gallstones are usually made up of cholesterol or bilirubin.

Cholecystitis is an inflammation of the gallbladder. Although cholecystitis is most often caused by gallstones, there are other, less common causes of pain. These may include pain in the heart area (angina or heart attack, which occurs due to ischemia (reduced blood flow to the heart).

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Why can the causes of pain in the gallbladder be determined incorrectly?

Gallbladder pain and heart pain, although caused by two very different processes, can be very similar. This means they can be confused during diagnosis. The fact is that sometimes heart pain can be felt in the middle of the upper abdomen, and biliary colic can be felt in the chest, where the heart is located. Gallbladder pain and heart pain can also produce the same symptoms - nausea and vomiting. Therefore, any patient with pain from typical biliary colic should definitely undergo an electrocardiogram to exclude the possibility of coronary heart disease.

Cholecystitis as a cause of pain in the gallbladder

Cholecystitis may occur as a complication of long-term obstruction of the gallbladder ducts. This occurs when inflammation of the gallbladder develops as a result of a bacterial infection. If this condition leads to sudden obstruction of the ducts, it may begin as biliary colic. Less commonly, cholecystitis may develop without pain, which is a typical symptom of biliary colic, especially in situations where the underlying cause of the disease may not be gallstones, but inflammation or infection of the gallbladder. For example, acalculous cholecystitis, vasculitis, etc.

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Symptoms of pain in the gallbladder in different diseases

Gallbladder pain during cholecystitis differs from pain during biliary colic. It is felt in the same area of the abdomen and is constant, but the cause of the pain is inflammation of the ducts. The pain may be aggravated by shaking, for example, when a person jumps. Then the person tries to lie down so that the pain in the gallbladder subsides. Other signs of gallbladder inflammation may be pain in the right upper abdomen (although this can also occur with stretching of the gallbladder without inflammation) and fever.

Difficulty in diagnosing the condition of the gallbladder when stones form

Few people know that 70-80% of people with gallstones never know they have them. These are the so-called "silent gallstones". The number of people who do not know what is happening in their body is growing. These numbers are constantly growing. The development of "silent" gallstones causes attacks of pain in the gallbladder in 1% of cases per year.

Gallstones tend to get stuck in the bile ducts that lead from the gallbladder or liver. When gallstones get stuck in the ducts, they cause a type of pain called biliary colic. If you suspect biliary colic, you should definitely get a test to diagnose gallstones, first of all, an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity.

In about 5% of cases, ultrasound cannot show the presence of gallstones. In such situations, if the symptoms of biliary colic are typical, doctors will perform other, more complex tests to diagnose gallstones, in particular, endoscopic ultrasound.

Most gallstones do not cause pain and are often discovered incidentally during an abdominal ultrasound. If the symptoms of gallbladder pain are not typical of biliary colic, then it is unlikely that the pain is caused by gallstones. This is important to understand because surgery to remove gallstones is unlikely to relieve these symptoms.

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What are the characteristics of gallbladder pain?

The term "biliary colic" for pain in the gallbladder is not always appropriate. Colic is pain that comes and goes abruptly. With biliary colic, the pain does not come and go. Its intensity may fluctuate over time, but this pain does not go away. It is a constant pain. It appears quite suddenly, or a person begins to have intense pain - or the intensity of the pain accumulates and quickly reaches a peak.

Symptoms of pain in biliary colic

Gallbladder pain with biliary colic remains constant (although it may fluctuate in the intensity of attacks) and then gradually disappears. The duration of this pain is from 15 minutes to several hours. If the pain lasts less than 15 minutes, it is unlikely to be caused by gallstones. If the pain lasts longer than several hours, it is either not biliary colic, or gallstone disease has already led to complications, such as cholecystitis.

• The pain from biliary colic is usually very severe.
• With movement, the pain in the gallbladder does not increase, since movement does not affect the stretching of the gallbladder ducts.
• The pain from biliary colic is most severe in the middle of the upper abdomen (epigastric region).
• Another place where severe pain may occur is in the upper right abdomen, where the gallbladder is located.

Other less common areas of pain with gallbladder problems include the most intense pain in the upper left abdomen, and less commonly in the lower abdomen.

For unknown reasons, pain in the gallbladder may radiate to other areas of the body, such as the right shoulder or right shoulder blade.

Biliary colic occurs mainly after eating (a common view, which is not always true). Biliary colic most often occurs in the evening or at night, and then the person wakes up. Biliary colic occurs extremely rarely during meals.

Biliary colic is a constant problem, but it occurs less than once a month.

What are the common symptoms of gallbladder pain?

The most common symptom that accompanies biliary colic is nausea, with or without vomiting. Vomiting does not relieve the pain. Other non-specific symptoms are due to the body's response to pain: increased sweating, weakness, dizziness, and shortness of breath. There may also be severe pain in the lower abdomen, bloating and belching, and diarrhea.

When should you see a doctor if you have gallbladder pain?

Please note that if you have severe pain in the abdominal area and this symptom is accompanied by chills, fever - then you should immediately consult a doctor. A consultation with a gastroenterologist is also needed if you have noticed these symptoms.

• Pain - moderate to severe - in the right side of the chest
• Pain in the gallbladder may radiate to the back or right shoulder
• Severe, prolonged pain in the upper abdomen (biliary colic)
• Nausea
• Vomit
• Gases
• Belching
• Frequent abdominal pain at night
• Pain that occurs after overeating
• Stomach pain after fatty foods
• The pain gets worse with deep breathing.
• Attacks of abdominal pain can last from 15 minutes to 15 hours.

Who should I contact if my gallbladder hurts?

Gallbladder pain is a serious symptom that can be a signal of an already developed disease. Therefore, you should not spare time for an appointment at the clinic and identify the causes of the disease. A gastroenterologist, hepatologist and general practitioner will help you with this.