Gallbladder
The Basics
The gallbladder is a small pouch that performs a very crucial function of maintaining bile circulation. The gallbladder sits just behind the liver and stores bile that is produced by the liver. When the food you eat reaches your small intestine, the intestine sends signals to the gallbladder. The gallbladder then squeezes the bile out into the bile ducts, which secretes it into the small intestine.
Bile, on the other hand, is a detergent-type liquid that helps in the digestion of fat. The detergent properties of bile help it emulsify fats, so that they can be digested easily in the intestines. If you’re wondering what is emulsifying, it is another way of saying that large fat molecules are broken down into smaller fat molecules to increase the surface area of the fats. The more the surface area, the easier the digestion.
Apart from digestion, bile also helps excrete some toxic metabolites into the feces and urine. Some of these metabolites are bilirubin (end-product of red blood cell breakdown) and certain drugs.
Diseases Associated With the Gallbladder
While there aren’t many side effects after removing the gallbladder of a healthy person, any anomalies in the structure and/or function of the gallbladder can cause you serious discomfort and pain. Gallbladder diseases often show up as upper right abdominal pain. The pain is typically felt at the tip of the right shoulder. The pain often gets worse after eating food, especially if you have eaten a fatty meal.
Gallstones is a condition in which multiple stones form in the gallbladder, blocking the flow of bile. This condition is often painful and can cause other symptoms like jaundice, too. One common reason for cholelithiasis is a high cholesterol diet and hyperlipidemia (excess fats in the body). Excessive cholesterol tends to crystalize in the gallbladder.
This refers to the infection of the gallbladder. It is often caused by a large stone in the gallbladder obstructing the flow of bile. Cholecystitis presents with severe pain and fever. The pain radiates to the tip of the right shoulder.
Gallstone pancreatitis is a rather serious complication of having untreated gallstones. It refers to the inflammation of the pancreas due to a gallstone(s) obstructing the pancreatic duct. This obstruction causes the pancreatic juice to back up in the pancreas, causing inflammation. Gallstone pancreatitis presents as very severe pain in the abdomen that goes toward your back.
Gallbladder cancer is a very rare condition. It is usually diagnosed at late stages, because early symptoms are easily ignorable. Symptoms may mimic those of gallstones in later stages.
Gastroenterologist in Queens, New York
You should contact us if you have abdominal pain that gets worse after eating food, especially on the right side of your body. Call today (718) 291-0488 or book your appointment at Digestive Disease & Nutrition located in Jamaica Plains, so we can help keep your gallbladder healthy.
