Gallstone disease, a lifestyle-related condition, is multi-factorial in origin, with interaction of both genetic and environmental factors. Common risk factors include obesity, ageing, hormone (estrogen) treatment, pregnancy, diabetes, Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, liver disease and crash dieting.
A gallstone is a solid mass that forms in the gall bladder largely from cholesterol or mixtures of bile salts (digestive juices of the liver), calcium and bile pigment. Gall bladder is the organ that stores and concentrates bile: a substance produced by the liver to digest fats. A stone is formed as cholesterol precipitates when there is a lower concentration of bile acids, water and emulsifying agents (lecithin) in bile. These may be as fine as beach sand or as coarse as river gravel or stones ranging from 5 mm to 25mm. Built over years, the estimated growth rate is approximately 2 mm per year.

Since gallstones are asymptomatic and are formed over years, many people may never know they have them. Common symptoms include bloating, belching, heartburn, fullness, abdominal discomfort/pain, indigestion and nausea especially after food. For some, however, the presence of gallstones can cause pain in the upper right abdomen when the gallbladder contracts to release bile after a meal. Inflammation of the gall bladder can bring on sudden, severe pain extending to the back and under the right shoulder blade, with fever, chills, and vomiting. If stones obstruct the flow of bile, the skin and the whites of the eyes become jaundiced. Left untreated, stones can lodge in the bile duct and cause inflammation of liver or pancreas and may even result in cancer (gallbladder).

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