Gallbladder attacks may appear rather suddenly, or they may produce subtle signals leading up to the attacks. When a person has a gallbladder attack, he usually experiences moderate to severe abdominal pain and/or pain under the right side of his ribcage that radiates to his back or right shoulder blade, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. These attacks usually occur as a result of excess cholesterol in the bile, a blocked bile duct, or an inflamed gallbladder.
Gallstones
Gallstones can cause a gallbladder attack when they block a bile duct, according to The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. Gallstones consist of small hardened, pebble-like deposits of bile or digestive fluid that develop in the gallbladder and empty into the small intestine, according to the MayoClinic.com. These stones form as result of too much cholesterol or bilirubin, a chemical that breaks down red blood cells in the bile, or a faulty gallbladder that does not empty correctly. Gallstones can be as small as a grain of sand to as big as an orange. While gallstones can dissolve on their own, many people require gallbladder surgery or removal, to remove gallstones from a blocked duct.
Blocked Cystic Duct
A blocked cystic duct can cause a person to have a gallbladder attack, according to The Merck Manual of Medical Information. A cystic duct transfers digestive liquid from the gallbladder to the common bile duct, so that bile can be emptied into the small intestines. When gallstones block a cystic duct, the gallbladder becomes painfully inflamed causing a condition called cholecystitis. Cholecystitis, or gallbladder inflammation, occurs when these gallstones block the flow of bile triggering abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and nausea that usually lasts more than six hours.
Acalculous Gallbladder Disease
Gallbladder disease can trigger frequent gallbladder attacks. In some cases, gallbladder disease can occur without stones, a condition called acalculous gallbladder disease, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. A person with this type of gallbladder disease may have the symptoms of gallstones, but find no evidence of stones in the gallbladder or biliary tract following an examination. Acalculous gallbladder disease may appear suddenly, or it may frequently recur. This type of gallbladder disease may arise in individuals who suffer from other diseases that cause gallbladder inflammation, or it may appear as a result of muscle defects or other gallbladder problems that can interfere with the gallbladder’s ability to empty its bile sac.
References
- The Merck Manual of Medical Information-Second Home Edition: Cholecystitis
- The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: Gallstones
- MayoClinic: com: Gallstones
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Gallstones and Gallbladder Disease – Introduction
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Gallstones
