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Your Guide to Your Gallbladder
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What It Does
Your gallbladder
sits on the right side of your belly, below your liver. It’s a small
organ, shaped like a pear, that holds a fluid called bile. This liquid,
made in your liver, helps you digest fats and certain vitamins. When you
eat, your body gets the signal to release it -- through channels called
ducts -- into your small intestine.
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Gallstones
The most common
reason people have trouble with their gallbladder is gallstones. You get
them when bile clumps together and forms solid masses. They can be as big
as a golf ball, and you can have just one or several.
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Types of Gallstones
Most stones are
made of hardened cholesterol. But people with certain conditions like
cirrhosis and sickle cell disease are more likely to have another kind
called pigment stones. These are made of bilirubin -- a brownish yellow
compound your liver makes when it breaks down old red blood cells.
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Cholecystitis
If a gallstone gets
into a duct and keeps bile from flowing out, your gallbladder can get inflamed.
That’s called cholecystitis, and it can lead to nausea, vomiting, and
belly pain. Bacteria also can cause it. You can tell you're having
gallbladder trouble by where it hurts: the upper right part of your
belly. It might get worse when you take deep breaths, and you may
also feel an ache in your back or right shoulder blade.
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If You Think You Have a Problem
Your doctor will
examine you and might want to take a sample of your blood to look for
signs your body is fighting an infection. You probably will have an
imaging test, like an ultrasound. It uses sound waves to make detailed
images of your gallbladder. Your doctor also might want an X-ray of your
belly or other blood tests to see how well your liver is working.
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Treatment for Cholecystitis
Some gallstones
never cause problems and can be left alone -- they're called
“silent." But if you have symptoms, your doctor may recommend
surgery, called cholecystectomy, to take out your gallbladder. You’ll be
fine without it -- the bile your liver makes will flow straight into your
intestine.
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Special Risks for Women
Researchers believe
estrogen plays a role in gallstones. The female sex hormone can boost the
amount of cholesterol in your bile. And pregnancy can cause a buildup of
something called gallbladder sludge, a thick liquid your body can’t
absorb easily.
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Family History
If someone in your
family has had gallstones, your chances of getting them are higher.
Mexican-Americans and Native Americans are more likely to have them than
other people -- the Pima tribe of Arizona has the highest rate of
gallbladder disease in the world. Researchers think certain genes can
raise the amount of cholesterol in bile.
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Obesity
If you’re
overweight, your body may make more cholesterol, which means you’re more
likely to have gallstones. You also may have a larger gallbladder that
doesn’t work as well as it should. If you carry most of your weight
around your waist rather than in your hips and thighs, that may also
raise your chance of getting gallstones.
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You’ve Lost Too Much Too Fast
If you drop weight
too quickly, you can be more likely to have gallstones, because
weight loss surgeries and very low-calorie diets can be hard on your
gallbladder. Cycling -- losing and regaining weight over and over -- also
can cause trouble. The safest course is a slow one: Aim to shed fewer
than 3 pounds a week.
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What You Eat Matters
Foods high in
cholesterol and fat can raise your chances of gallstones. And you’re more
likely to have gallbladder issues if you don’t have much fiber in your
diet or you eat a lot of refined carbohydrates like white bread and white
rice.
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Medications Can Play a Role
Birth control pills
and hormone replacement therapy can raise your chances of gallstones
because they have estrogen in them. Medicines called fibrates, which help
lower your cholesterol, have been linked to gallbladder disease because
they can raise the amount of cholesterol in your bile.
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Diabetes Connection
If you have this
condition that affects your kidneys, you may have more of a kind of fat
called triglyceride in your blood, and that can boost your chances of
gallstones. Researchers also think your gallbladder may not react to your
body’s signals the way it should and that can let bile build up.
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Steps You Can Take
The risk of
gallstones is higher once you’re past 40, but you can do a few things to
help avoid them. Stay at a healthy weight, but don’t fast or go on crash
diets. Eat plenty of fiber and good fats like olive and fish oil, and
don’t eat much refined grain. Choose whole wheat instead of white bread,
for example, and brown rice instead of white.
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