The gallbladder, an organ located under the liver, stores bile--a substance produced in the liver. Gallbladder disease, also known as biliary disease, describes a group of conditions including inflammation, infection and the formation of gallstones that affect the gallbladder. Although children may suffer from gallbladder problems, the risk for gallbladder diseases leading to symptoms increases beginning at age 40 with those older than 60 at highest risk for the formation of gallstones, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Abdominal Pain
The University of Maryland Medical Center reports the most common symptom experienced by patients suffering from gallbladder problems as abdominal pain. Because the gallbladder resides in the upper-right quadrant of the abdominal cavity, patients feel the pain caused by gallbladder problems in the mid- to upper portion of the abdomen. Intermittent pain, known as biliary colic, feels like a gripping or gnawing pain that radiates to the back. This pain, typically felt in a gallbladder attack, lasts from one to several hours, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Sudden onset of gallbladder inflammation, a condition known as acute cholecystitis, produces a severe and constant pain that may last for several days.
Fever
Approximately 1/3 of the patients with acute cholecystitis will develop a fever, according to the Merck Manual. Inflammation of the gallbladder that fails to resolve becomes a condition known as chronic cholecystitis. Although chronic cholecystitis causes permanent damage to the gallbladder, it rarely causes a fever.
Nausea and Vomiting
The pain associated with gallbladder problems can get so severe and intense that it triggers the onset of nausea and vomiting.
Chronic Diarrhea
Chronic cholecystitis damages the tissues within the gallbladder. This interferes with the ability of the muscle in the wall of the gallbladder to effectively contract to send bile to the small intestines. Without bile, the fats passing through the digestive tract cannot be broken down. This can cause chronic diarrhea, defined by the University of Maryland Medical Center as the occurrence of four to 10 episodes of loose watery stools each day for at least three months.
Jaundice
Bile contains bilirubin--a waste product produced when the liver breaks down old red blood cells. Bilirubin appears brownish-yellow and adds the pigment to stools as they pass through the intestines. When gallbladder disease inhibits the flow of bile, the bile accumulates in the blood stream. The presence of bilirubin in the bloodstream gives the skin and the whites of the eyes a yellow appearance, a condition known as jaundice.
