Cholecystitis or Gall Bladder Inflammation
Cholecystitis or Gall Bladder Inflammation
Cholecystitis is the gall bladder inflammation. Gall bladder is an organ that has a pear shape and is situated just below the liver and on the upper right portion of the abdomen. Gall bladder stores the bile secreted by the liver along the bile acids, cholesterol and other toxin substances released by the liver. When you take food, gall bladder will release this stored bile in to the intestine where it aids in digesting the fat. When this gall bladder got stones then it may leads to inflammation. Sometimes cholecystitis may occur with out gall stones and this condition is called acalculous cholecystitis which is a rare and serious condition.
Causes for Cholecystitis
If the bile stored in the gall bladder contains lot of cholesterol and bile pigment then it may leads to the development of gall stones. These gall stones then blocks the cystic duct that connect the hepatic duct to the gall bladder. This may leads to the inflammation of the gall bladder. A bacterial infection on any part of the bile duct system may also cause inflammation. Gall bladder sludge is another reason for inflammation.
Sludge is a thick substance that is formed in people who lose their weight rapidly and also in pregnant women. The bile present in the gall bladder can’t absorb this sludge and thus leads to inflammation. Other causes for gall bladder inflammation are reduction of blood supply to gall bladder, presence of tumor in liver or pancreas.
Symptoms of Cholecystitis
Cholecystitis can be of two types, acute and chronic cholecystitis. In acute cholecystitis the inflammation will be a sudden action accompanied with severe pain. The gall bladder may fill up with fluid and its walls become thick. In chronic cholecystitis the inflammation may last for a long period accompanied with repeated attacks of acute cholecystitis. The wall of the gall bladder becomes scarred and thickened and ultimately gall bladder becomes unable to store the bile.
The affected person may have repeated painful sessions and the pain may worsen with deep breaths. There may be , vomiting, chills, rigid abdominal muscles on the right side, jaundice, itching, abdominal bloating, loose and light colored stool, slight fever etc.
If you have any of these symptoms then check it with your doctor.
