Condition Lookup
Sub-Category:
Gallbladder Diseases
Number of Conditions: 3
Cholelithiasis (Gallstones)
Specialty: Gastrointestinal
Category: Gallbladder and Biliary Tract Disorders
Sub-category: Gallbladder Diseases
Symptoms:
right upper abdominal pain; nausea; vomiting; jaundice; pain after fatty meals
Root Cause:
Formation of solid particles (gallstones) in the gallbladder due to an imbalance in bile components, including cholesterol, bile salts, and bilirubin.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Abdominal ultrasound, blood tests for liver function, and imaging like CT or MRI when complications are suspected.
Treatment:
Watchful waiting for asymptomatic cases, cholecystectomy (surgical removal of the gallbladder) for symptomatic cases, or non-surgical options like oral bile acid therapy or extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy.
Medications:
Ursodeoxycholic acid (ursodiol ) can be prescribed; it is a bile acid therapy that helps dissolve cholesterol gallstones over time.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Affects 10–15% of the adult population in developed countries; more common in women and older adults.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Female gender, obesity, rapid weight loss, high-fat diet, pregnancy, and family history.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Good with treatment; asymptomatic gallstones may never cause issues, while symptomatic cases resolve after gallbladder removal.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Acute cholecystitis, pancreatitis, bile duct obstruction, and gallbladder cancer in rare cases.
Cholecystitis (Inflammation of the Gallbladder)
Specialty: Gastrointestinal
Category: Gallbladder and Biliary Tract Disorders
Sub-category: Gallbladder Diseases
Symptoms:
severe upper abdominal pain; fever; nausea; vomiting; tenderness in the right upper abdomen
Root Cause:
Inflammation of the gallbladder, usually caused by gallstones blocking the cystic duct, leading to bile stasis and bacterial infection.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Physical examination, abdominal ultrasound, blood tests indicating inflammation (e.g., elevated WBC, CRP), and imaging like HIDA scan.
Treatment:
Intravenous fluids, antibiotics for infection, pain management, and cholecystectomy (urgent or delayed based on severity).
Medications:
Antibiotics like ceftriaxone (a cephalosporin) combined with metronidazole (an anaerobic antibiotic) to treat infection. Pain management may include NSAIDs or opioids.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Common among individuals with gallstones; prevalence increases with age and in women.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Gallstones, obesity, older age, female gender, and prior episodes of biliary colic.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Favorable with treatment; untreated cases can lead to severe complications.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Gallbladder rupture, sepsis, emphysematous cholecystitis, and biliary peritonitis.
Acalculous Cholecystitis
Specialty: Gastrointestinal
Category: Gallbladder and Biliary Tract Disorders
Sub-category: Gallbladder Diseases
Symptoms:
right upper abdominal pain; fever; nausea; vomiting; jaundice
Root Cause:
Inflammation of the gallbladder without gallstones, often caused by critical illness, ischemia, or infection.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Ultrasound showing gallbladder wall thickening, pericholecystic fluid, or positive HIDA scan; lab findings may show elevated liver enzymes and WBCs.
Treatment:
Supportive care with IV fluids, broad-spectrum antibiotics, and cholecystectomy or percutaneous cholecystostomy if the condition does not resolve.
Medications:
Broad-spectrum antibiotics like piperacillin-tazobactam (a beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor) to cover potential infections.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Accounts for 5–10% of all cholecystitis cases; more common in critically ill patients.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Major surgery, trauma, burns, prolonged fasting, total parenteral nutrition (TPN), and sepsis.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Variable; outcomes depend on underlying conditions and timely intervention.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Gallbladder gangrene, perforation, abscess formation, and systemic sepsis.