The gallbladder is a small pear shaped organ that is positioned on the underside of the liver, and its main function is to store bile. Bile is made in the liver and is stored in the gall bladder until it is needed to help the digestion of fat. Gallbladder disease is an issue that is believed to be more common amongst women, yet it can also affect the well being of men. The symptoms of this disease do vary from discomfort to severe pain which mainly begins after food. In severe cases the patient can suffer from jaundice, nausea and fever. It is believed that the most common reason for gallbladder disease is gallstones. It is the production of gallstones that are produced in the gallbladder that cause the pain. The formation of gallstones is caused by the bodies’ inability to digest fat, this fat thus forms into stone-like shapes that lie in the gallbladder unable to be digested and broken down. These gallstones can also take the form of solid stones of calcium, cholesterol and bile salts, these substances, like fat, are unable to be digested in the body forming stones that vary in size (from a few millimetres to a few centimetres).
Though gallbladder disease has been detected in people of all ages, it is believed to be rarer in young people. However, certain types of people are prone to the condition including: People who have been diagnosed as clinically obese, people who have relatives who have also suffered with the condition, women who take oestrogen type drugs such as the contraceptive pill and people who suffer with diseases such as chronic intestinal inflammation (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis).
Though gallbladder disease has been detected in people of all ages, it is believed to be rarer in young people. However, certain types of people are prone to the condition including: People who have been diagnosed as clinically obese, people who have relatives who have also suffered with the condition, women who take oestrogen type drugs such as the contraceptive pill and people who suffer with diseases such as chronic intestinal inflammation (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis).
