Today, many are interested in the question of how the main symptoms of acute cholecystitis look like. After all, statistics confirm that almost every fourth patient of the surgical department is admitted to the hospital with this diagnosis. So why does the disease occur and are there effective treatments?
Acute cholecystitis: causes of the disease
Cholecystitis is a disease accompanied by inflammation of the gallbladder. Such a violation may have several causes. Nevertheless, in most cases, the cause of the inflammatory process is cholelithiasis, as a result of which the bile ducts are blocked by a stone. Symptoms of acute cholecystitis occur due to the penetration of infection into the bladder along with a violation of the normal outflow of bile.
In about 15% of cases, inflammation is the result of a bend or lengthening of the ducts, which also interferes with normal secretion.
In addition, risk factors include severeconditions, including extensive burns and sepsis. In some cases, cholecystitis develops after abdominal surgery. The risk of gallbladder inflammation is increased in people with autoimmune diseases.
Statistics show that women over the age of 45 are more prone to this disease.
Main symptoms of acute cholecystitis
Such a disease begins acutely with cramping pain on the right side. Moreover, as the disease develops, the attacks become longer and more intense. There is an increase in temperature up to 37.5, and in more severe cases up to 40 degrees. Weakness, dizziness, lethargy, dry mouth, frequent vomiting are also symptoms of acute cholecystitis. In severe forms of the disease, bloating is observed, as well as belching, and sometimes yellowness of the skin.
Acute cholecystitis and diagnostic methods
Attacks can have different duration (from several hours to several days). But in any case, a patient with similar symptoms must be urgently taken to the hospital - self-medication will not help here, but will only complicate the situation.
In a medical institution, you need to take blood tests (the disease is accompanied by an increase in the number of leukocytes) and undergo some research. Differential diagnosis of acute cholecystitis can be difficult, since similar symptoms are also accompanied by hepatic colic, perforated gastric ulcer, appendicitis, pancreatitis. In any case, only afteran accurate diagnosis, treatment can begin.
Acute cholecystitis: surgery or conservative treatment?
In fact, surgery is almost always required to cure the disease. The only exceptions are those cases where inflammation is not associated with a violation of the normal outflow of bile. In the first few hours, patients are given antispasmodic drugs to relieve pain, as well as antibiotics to fight infection. After the symptoms subside, the patient is prescribed an operation, during which the gallbladder is removed
