The gallbladder is a small organ that is responsible for storing bile and digestive enzymes made by the liver. It is characterized as a pear-shaped organ that is similar to a pouch located at the upper tummy and found beneath the liver.
When the biles and other chemicals found in the gallbladder harden, several small hard substances or one large stone known as gallstones are formed.
What causes gallstones?
According to mayoclinic.org, gallstones in the gallbladder are formed when the bile collected by the gallbladder contains too much cholesterol, too much bilirubin, and become concentrated.
Formation of gallstones can cause several health problems and symptoms in a person such as nausea, indigestion, jaundice, cholangitis, sepsis, and gallbladder cancer.
Are there other problems that can occur in the gallbladder?
The gallbladder may develop other problems aside from the formation of gallstones including cholecystitis or gallbladder infection, gallbladder polyps, and gallbladder cancer.
Gallbladder problems may be caused by several risk factors such as gender, age, ethnicity, and weight. They are usually occurring in women over 60 years of age, and which have a history of gallbladder problems.
What are gallbladder polyps?
Gallbladder polyps are small harmless growth similar to tumors which are caused by cholesterol buildup. While they are not cancer cells, some gallbladder polyps may actually be tumors and may cause gallbladder cancer.
According to everydayhealth.com, to know if your gallbladder polyps are cancerous or not, doctors would need to measure its size. A polyp that is larger than 1 cm is most probably cancerous while a growth that is less than 1 cm are unlikely to be malignant.
Can metabolic syndrome affect the gallbladder?
While gallbladder problems are usually caused by genetics, health conditions can also affect the health of the gallbladder. Other risk factors that may cause gallbladder problems include obesity, medications, diet, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome is defined by mayoclinic.org as a group of conditions that increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Among the common conditions that are associated with metabolic syndrome include high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and abnormal triglyceride levels.
What happens during laparoscopic surgery?
For gallbladder problems that are severe and which needs surgery, laparoscopic surgery may be done by doctors. Laparoscopic surgery is a procedure that uses a technique of making a single incision in the abdomen and inserting a specialized camera to aid in surgery. This kind of surgery is said to be minimally invasive and uses detailed images of the organ as seen in a monitor while performing the surgery.
According to emedicinehealth.com, laparoscopy is beneficial for faster recovery and less trauma to the body after surgery.
What to do after the gallbladder removal surgery?
After a gallbladder surgery, doctors may recommend dietary changes in order to avoid post-surgical complications. Doctors may prescribe foods that are easy to consume such as clear liquids and gelatin. Solid foods should be introduced slowly and gradually as not to produce symptoms of digestive problems and nausea.
Half of the people that will undergo gallbladder removal surgery can experience digestive problems after surgery. This is because the gallbladder which is responsible for collecting bile produced by the liver is no longer there to do its job so the bile is directly being leaked to your intestine.
Foods to eat for a healthy gallbladder diet
To avoid gallbladder problems from occurring and reduce the risk of gallstones from forming, you need to eat foods which are low in fat and which are high in fiber. WebMD suggests eating foods which are rich in essential nutrients such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, and low-fat dairy products to boost the health of not just your gallbladder but the rest of your body as well.
[메디컬리포트=Carissa Marie 기자]