The gallbladder, a small pouch beneath the liver, is a storage unit for bile, produced by the liver. The gallbladder releases bile to help digest fats found in food. Common gallbladder diseases include stone formation, infection, blockage of ducts by stones and inflammation. As many as 10 to 20 percent of people in the United States have gallstones, but most cause no symptoms, Penn Medicine states. Symptoms of gallbladder disease vary by the type of disease.
Pain
Most gallbladder diseases cause pain in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen just under the ribs. Sometimes the pain radiates to the back, breastbone or right shoulder. Gallstones cause pain called biliary colic; biliary colic can be gnawing or burning and can last for several hours. Biliary colic may occur up to several hours after eating and may wake the sufferer in the night.
Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder from stones blocking the ducts that lead to the liver and pancreas. Cholecystitis can be acute, coming on suddenly, or chronic. Pain from acute cholecystitis may spread across the abdomen to the left side and may worsen when a person tries to take a deep breath. Pain may intensify and last for several days. Acute cholecystitis needs rapid treatment and may require hospitalization, the Mayo Clinic warns. Mild inflammation from chronic cholecystitis can scar the gallbladder and cause vague abdominal discomfort, the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) states.
Gastrointestinal Symptoms
Nausea and vomiting are common symptoms of both gallstones and acute and chronic cholecystitis. Gas and diarrhea may also occur in chronic cholecystitis.
Other Symptoms
Fever, chills and restlessness may accompany severe pain in acute cholecystitis or cholangitis, infection in the gallbladder. If the common bile duct, which leads to the liver, swells or becomes blocked by stones, jaundice may occur. The skin and whites of the eyes may be slightly yellow, urine may be darker than normal and stools may be clay-colored. If cholangitis develops, the heartbeat may become rapid, and blood pressure may drop. Acute gallbladder disease needs immediate medical treatment, according to UMMC.
