Your gallbladder may be small but it plays a large role in your body.
Located on the right side of your belly, just below your liver is the gallbladder. The gallbladder plays a role in digestion. It stores and concentrates bile, the yellow-brown enzyme produced by the liver.
Bile helps in the digestive process by breaking down fats. It also helps in draining the waste products from the liver into the duodenum, a part of the small intestine.
About Gallbladder Diseases
Gallbladder disease occurs when there is inflammation, infection, blockage, or stone formation in the gallbladder.
Some of the most common types of gallbladder disease include cholecystitis, gallstones, chronic acalculous gallbladder, sclerosing cholangitis, and tumors of the gallbladder.
Symptoms of Gallbladder Disease
The most common symptom of gallbladder disease is the biliary colic. It’s a dull pain felt in the middle to upper right abdominal area (usually under the right side of the rib cage). This pain can be so severe and can radiate to the upper back.
Other symptoms of gallbladder disease may include nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, jaundice, dark urine, lighter stools, rapid heartbeat, and sudden drop of blood pressure.
Diagnosis of Gallbladder Disorders
Initially, your provider will do an elimination process to rule out other possible causes of the symptoms. Other disorders that can mimic a gallbladder attack include acute appendicitis, stomach ulcers, ulcerative colitis, and urinary tract infections.
Taking into consideration your medical history and performing a thorough physical examination is part of determining your diagnosis. In many cases, additional tests will be needed to confirm the diagnosis. These tests may include blood tests, abdominal X-ray, computed tomography, and endoscopic ultrasound.
Treating Gallbladder Diseases
In many cases, gallbladder diseases are managed through surgery (removal of the gallbladder).
Premier Surgical Associates of Knoxville and Cleveland, TN, have surgical specialists who have years of experience removing diseased gallbladders. If you have no insurance or a high deductible, package pricing is available through the Premier Surgery Center. To learn more visit https://www.premiersurgerypackages.com/ call us at (865) 306-5775.
References:
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/gallbladder-disease
https://www.healthline.com/health/human-body-maps/gallbladder#1