Gallstones (cont.)

Medical Author:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Gallstones occur when bile forms solid particles (stones) in the gallbladder.

• The stones form when the amount of cholesterol or bilirubin in the bile is high.
  
  
• Other substances in the bile may promote the formation of stones.
  
  
• Pigment stones form most often in people with liver disease or blood disease, who have high levels of bilirubin.
  
  
• Poor muscle tone may keep the gallbladder from emptying completely. The presence of residual bile may promote the formation of gallstones.

Risk factors for the formation of cholesterol gallstones include the following:

• female gender,
  
  
• being overweight,
  
  
• losing a lot of weight quickly on a "crash" or starvation diet, or
  
  
• taking certain medications such as birth control pills or cholesterol lowering drugs.

Gallstones are the most common cause of gallbladder disease.

• As the stones mix with liquid bile, they can block the outflow of bile from the gallbladder. They can also block the outflow of digestive enzymes from the pancreas.
  
  
• If the blockage persists, these organs can become inflamed. Inflammation of the gallbladder is called cholecystitis. Inflammation of the pancreas is called pancreatitis.
  
  
• Contraction of the blocked gallbladder causes increased pressure, swelling, and, at times, infection of the gallbladder.

When the gallbladder or gallbladder ducts become inflamed or infected as the result of stones, the pancreas frequently becomes inflamed too.

• This inflammation can cause destruction of the pancreas, resulting in severe abdominal pain.
  
  
• Untreated gallstone disease can become life-threatening, particularly if the gallbladder becomes infected or if the pancreas becomes severely inflamed.

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