What Happens If You Have Gallbladder Problems?

The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ located under the liver that stores bile, a fluid that helps the body break down fat in food. 

What Are Symptoms of Gallbladder Problems?

Symptoms of gallbladder problems include:

• Intermittent pain (biliary colic)
  • Pain is located in the upper right abdomen near the rib cage
  • Can be severe
  • Can radiate to the upper back
  • May be accompanied by nausea or vomiting 
• Inflammation in the gallbladder (acute cholecystitis)
  • Pain in the upper right abdomen that is severe and constant and may last for days
  • Pain may worsen when inhaling
  • Fever and chills 
  • Nausea and vomiting may occur
• Chronic gallbladder disease
  • Gas
  • Nausea 
  • Abdominal discomfort after meals 
  • Chronic diarrhea
• Gallstones
  • Severe pain in the upper right abdomen
  • Pain in the shoulder or back on the right side
  • Upset stomach
  • Nausea 
  • Vomiting
  • Heartburn
  • Indigestion
  • Chest pain
  • Gas
  • Yellowing skin and eyes (jaundice) 
  • Dark urine and/or lighter colored stools  
  • Rapid heartbeat and abrupt blood pressure drop
  • Fever
  • Chills

Causes of gallbladder problems include:

• Gallstones (also called gallstone disease, or cholelithiasis) occur when cholesterol and other substances found in bile form stones. When stones pass from the gallbladder into the small intestine or get stuck in the biliary duct it can cause pain. This is called biliary colic, or a “gallbladder attack.” 
  • The pain of a gallbladder attack may resemble a heart attack. See your doctor right away if you have chest pain. 
• Gallbladder inflammation (cholescystitis) 
• Bile backing up into the gallbladder may cause the gallbladder to swell
• Gallbladder rupture
• Gallbladder polyps
• Gallbladder cancer
• Acalculous gallbladder disease or gallbladder dyskinesia
• Gangrene or abscesses
• Congenital defects of the gallbladder
• Sclerosing cholangitis
• Gallbladder and bile duct tumors 

Gallbladder problems are diagnosed with a patient history and physical examination, along with tests such as:

• Blood tests
  • Complete blood count (CBC)
  • Liver tests
  • Blood amylase or lipase levels
• Imaging tests
  • Ultrasound 
  • Computed tomography (CT) scan
  • Hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scan
  • Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP)
  • Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)

Treatment for gallbladder problems may include: 

• Pain medications 
  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve)
  • Narcotic analgesics
• Bile acid pill: Actigall (ursodiol) to break down cholesterol gallstones
• Gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy)
  • Usually the main treatment for gallbladder problems
  • Done in one of two different ways:
    • Laparoscopic surgery is the most common procedure for gallbladder removal in which a surgeon uses a long, thin tube with a light and a tiny camera on the end to see inside the body (laparoscope). A few small incisions are made and the surgeon inserts the laparoscope and other special tools through the incisions to perform the operation.
    • Open surgery is performed when the gallbladder and bile duct are too infected or scarred to safely perform laparoscopic surgery. It may also be recommended in patients who are obese, have severe gallbladder disease, or pregnant women in the last trimester of pregnancy. In this procedure, a larger incision in in the belly is created to perform the surgery directly.