It is important to determine the symptoms of gallstone disease in the early stages in order to start treating this disease as soon as possible and try to cope with it. This disease is associated with the formation of stones in the gallbladder and bile ducts. If there are no complications, then conservative methods are used in the treatment, but if conventional methods fail to extract the stones, then it is necessary to resort to surgical intervention.
What causes gallstones?
Symptoms of gallstone disease are described in detail in this article. But first, you need to figure out what might be causing it. Causes of cholelithiasis are usually associated with impaired metabolism. This leads to the formation of stones in the gallbladder and bile ducts.
The process is as follows. Due to impaired metabolism inIn the human body, the composition and properties of bile can change dramatically. As a result, bile thickens and stagnates, and the acids present in it precipitate. From here, dense formations are formed that turn into stones. They contain bilirubin, cholesterol, s alts and proteins.
The size and number of stones that can form in the gallbladder varies greatly. From one to several dozen and from grains of sand in size to large objects the size of a walnut.
Very often cholelithiasis is accompanied by inflammation of the gallbladder. This disease is called cholecystitis. There are also disturbances in the flow of bile into the digestive tract, which leads to biliary dyskinesia.
Possible Complications
When complications arise, the stone can completely block the outflow of bile to the neck of the gallbladder. As a result, the so-called obstructive jaundice is rapidly developing. This is already a disease that can be fatal if not treated in time.
Among the possible complications, there is also a perforation of the gallbladder or peritonitis. In the latter case, the inflammatory process extends to the peritoneum. An abscess of the abdominal cavity can occur, and this is already fraught with toxic shock and even multiple organ failure. Most of these diseases are fatal in extreme cases.
It is worth noting that there are a number of factors that affect the development of this disease,increase the risk of its formation. Women of advanced age are more often prone to cholelithiasis, in whom there was a violation of tone and motility, concomitant diseases of the liver, intestines, pancreas, and the presence of chronic infectious diseases. And also those people who lead a sedentary lifestyle, do not watch their diet, are prone to obesity, diet. Often the disease occurs in pregnant women.
Symptoms of disease
One of the main dangers of this disease is that in the early stages it is almost asymptomatic. And it happens when, even with the development of the disease, the appearance of stones in the gallbladder, no pain occurs. This is what is called asymptomatic stone-carrying. In this case, it is possible to detect an ailment only as a result of an X-ray examination.
But there are obvious symptoms of gallstone disease. These include bouts of severe pain in the right hypochondrium, vomiting, unpleasant bitterness in the mouth, nausea. Often the disease is accompanied by inflammatory changes in the gallbladder itself and the ducts leading to it.
The movement of stones along them can lead to severe attacks of biliary colic, which is also called hepatic. With colic, pain also occurs in the right hypochondrium, from there the pain radiates to the shoulder or shoulder blade. Vivid symptoms of cholelithiasis is also the fact that pain occurs after eating. It is during these periods that they can be accompanied by nausea and even profuse vomiting.
Diagnostic Methods
Diagnosis of cholelithiasis can only be carried out by highly qualified specialists. First of all, these are gastroenterologists, and surgeons will help to cope with the disease.
In a clinic with good technical equipment and diagnostic equipment, you are guaranteed to get the correct diagnosis. To accurately determine your disease, you will need to undergo an ultrasound examination. This method is the main one in the diagnosis of gallstone disease. During an ultrasound of the abdominal organs, it will be possible to accurately determine whether stones are present in the gallbladder, as well as accurately determine their size and number, evaluate their shape, determine the size of the gallbladder itself, the deformation of its walls, and the state in which the bile ducts are located.
Another effective method is computed tomography with contrast. This will allow your doctor to identify the key signs of gallbladder inflammation, evaluate its functionality, and notice if there is a blockage in the bile ducts.
Also, experts advise to take general and biochemical blood tests. This will make it possible to identify other signs of inflammation, if any. Deep and complete diagnostic studies help to establish concomitant diseases, determine the individual characteristics of patients. Only in this case, the doctor will be able to prescribe the optimal and effective course of treatment.
Fighting disease
Non-surgery treatment for gallstones is considered the most preferred treatment. True, it is not always possibleuse. For example, if the disease continues for a long time, irreversible inflammatory processes in the body have begun.
At the same time, there is an opinion that conservative therapy with this method is still ineffective. Due to the fact that the stones stay in the gallbladder for quite a long time, and there are often no symptoms in the early stages of the disease. As a result, this can lead to complications, the development of an inflammatory process. Therefore, as soon as the diagnosis is confirmed, it is necessary to immediately resort to treatment without surgery for cholelithiasis in order to try to cope with the disease without surgery.
Methods are associated with the removal of stones, in the worst case, the disease can lead to the removal of the entire gallbladder.
Only your doctor can determine your treatment. He will assess your general physical condition, as well as the degree of operational risk. There are several effective methods these days.
For example, litholytic therapy is often used. It consists in dissolving the stones that are in the gallbladder with all kinds of medications. It can be ursodeoxycholic acid or chenodeoxycholic acid. This method shows high efficiency in the treatment of patients whose stones mainly consist of cholesterol.
But that doesn't happen often. As a rule, stones have a mixed composition, in which one or another element rarely predominates. In more or less equal proportions, it contains proteins, all kinds of s alts and bilirubin. So litholysis, whichoccurs without surgery, is possible in the treatment of only a fifth of patients who suffer from cholelithiasis.
In extreme cases, when inflammation has already begun to develop, one has to resort to a surgical method. It is always used when conservative methods show their inefficiency. The surgeon in this case performs an operation to remove the gallbladder. Nowadays, clinics use two methods - standard surgery and laparoscopic.
Clear signs
The most obvious sign of this disease is an attack of gallstone disease. It is worth noting that at the very beginning only small stones are formed, so the inflammatory process, as a rule, does not occur. The manifestations of an attack in the early stages include hepatic colic, when there are unpleasant and painful sensations in the region of the right hypochondrium. In some cases, the pain may cover the entire right side.
Also, some patients experience chills, mild fever, and mild bloating.
This attack lasts about half an hour, after which the acute pain subsides, but remains aching. Only after two or three hours the pain will pass completely. Characteristic seizures may occur at quarter-hour intervals.
This pain during an attack of gallstone disease occurs due to stones formed in the gallbladder. The larger the stones, the greater the resulting pain.
In the later stages, complications from this disease are accompanied by symptoms such asprolonged and acute pain, pallor, rapid breathing, increased sweating. In this case, it is imperative to take tests for cholelithiasis.
Preventive measures
The most effective prevention of gallstone disease is diet. It is necessary to eat right in order to avoid this ailment, but it is worth recognizing that often people do not think about such a danger at all, do not take care of their own gallbladder. After all, it is in it that bile is accumulated and stored for a long time - a liquid that helps our body absorb and digest fats.
At the same time, the gallbladder, unlike the liver, heart or kidneys, does not belong to vital and necessary organs, but when problems arise with it, this can significantly worsen your life.
At the same time, it must be emphasized that the diet is not the main cause of the disease. It is impossible to recover from it, only by starting to eat right. There are many more factors, we have already mentioned most of them in this article.
Dieting and maintaining an adequate weight is only a preventive measure that will help reduce the risk of gallstone disease.
He althy eating
So, the main recommendations for gallstone disease are related to the need to eat a he althy and balanced diet. A diet based on low fat and cholesterol, as well as a moderate amount of calories with a highfiber content. It will allow you to maintain the required weight.
Cholelithiasis in the ICD (International Classifier of Diseases) has the code K80. It is recognized officially all over the world. Everywhere it is given increased attention, because in the case of its development, a person suffers severe physical suffering, in extreme cases, death is possible.
The following is the basis of the diet for cholelithiasis, what can and cannot be consumed. The diet should include:
- lots of fresh fruits and vegetables;
- best to focus on poultry, fish and lean meats;
- Eat plenty of low-fat dairy products;
- Give preference to whole grains such as brown rice, whole grain bread, bran or oats.
There are several medical studies that have helped determine which foods can either completely prevent the development of gallstone disease, or minimize the likelihood of its occurrence. It was possible to find out that the risk of formation of stones in the bile ducts significantly reduces the regular consumption of caffeinated coffee. This applies to both men and women.
This also contributes to moderate alcohol consumption. There is also a study showing that women who eat a serving of peanuts a day can reduce the risk of gallbladder removal by 20% compared to women who rarely or never eat peanuts or peanut butter.
WhenAt the same time, scientists insist that modern factory-made foodstuffs saturated with fats and carbohydrates often lead to the development of this disease. During severe attacks of gallstone pain, the body may try to expel bile while the stones block its outflow. When you start eating fatty foods, your gallbladder shrinks much faster.
It must be remembered that changing the diet will not save you from this disease at all, but it can significantly alleviate the symptoms, and also become an effective prevention.
What to do with cholelithiasis is described in detail in this article. It is important to try to completely eliminate fast food, fried foods, whole milk and most dairy products (ice cream, cheese, butter), red fatty meat, factory-made confectionery products (donuts, cookies, pies, waffles) from the diet.
Also, low-calorie diets are more dangerous. If you are overweight, try to reduce it gradually. No more than one kilogram per week. After all, only a balanced diet and uniform loads help to cope with stones in the gallbladder and ducts. If the diet does not work, see your doctor immediately.
Contraindications
We have already considered the basis of the diet for cholelithiasis, which is possible with this disease. Now let's take a closer look at foods to avoid.
- First of all, these are eggs. It is best to completely eliminate them from the diet. In themvery high cholesterol. In addition, eggs belong to the group of strong allergens. This also makes the product a serious cause of gallbladder irritation.
- Don't eat fatty fried meat, pork, red meat, sausages. It must be replaced with poultry meat. It is worth abandoning fatty fish, replacing it with low-fat. Just be sure to remove the skin and fat from the chicken or turkey to prevent gallbladder irritation.
- Avoid all fried foods. This is not only meat, potatoes and pies, but also fast food. Do not eat food cooked with margarine, vegetable oil and animal fats. All this can only aggravate the disease. Alternatively, use ghee or red palm oil.
- Don't eat refined foods. This is white bread, white rice, refined sugar. All this increases the percentage of cholesterol in bile.
- Avoid dairy products. The danger is milk itself, as well as yogurt, cheeses, sour cream, cream, ice cream. They contain a lot of animal fat, which provokes complications of cholelithiasis. As a last resort, buy low-fat dairy products. Whole cow's milk can be replaced with almond milk. This will provide your body with the calcium it needs to keep bones and teeth he althy.
- Do not eat foods that have been processed in the factory. They usually contain trans fats. In the store, of course, you can find manufacturers who do not usesuch additives, but for this you need to carefully study the composition on the package. If there is any doubt, simply discard this product. First of all, this applies to potato chips, donuts, cookies, various desserts.
Recipes for cholelithiasis
In addition to effective medicines and drugs, there are a large number of folk recipes that will help, if not cope, then certainly minimize the consequences of gallstone disease, and will serve as a good means of prevention.
Given that all these are folk remedies, before you start taking them, be sure to consult your doctor. Many advise twice a day, morning and evening, to drink a decoction of medicinal herbs, which must include wormwood and horsetail. One teaspoon of this mixture will suffice for one cup of water.
One more piece of advice - juices for cholelithiasis. Radish juice is considered the most effective. One glass of this drink a day for two to three months will help you forget about problems with the gallbladder. By the way, you can mix it with red beet juice.
And in ancient times, gallstone disease was often fought with lemon juice and olive oil.
