Gallstones

Gallstones are believed to develop because of an imbalance in the chemical make-up of bile inside the gallbladder. In most cases the levels of cholesterol in bile become too high and the additional cholesterol forms into stones.

Gallstones are extremely common. It’s estimated that more than 1 in every 10 adults in the UK has gallstones, although only a minority of people develop symptoms.

You’re more at risk of developing gallstones if you:

• are overweight or obese
• are female – particularly if you have had children, are taking the combined pill, or are undergoing high-dose oestrogen therapy
• are over 40 years of age – the risk increases as you get older
• suffer from a condition that affects the flow of bile such as cirrhosis or obstetric cholestasis
• suffer from Crohn’s disease or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• have a family history of gallstones
• have recently lost weight (either from dieting or weight-loss surgery)
• are taking an antibiotic called ceftriaxone

Gallstones can cause sudden, severe abdominal pain. The pain can be felt:

• In the centre of your abdomen (tummy)
• Just under the ribs on your right-hand side – it may spread from here to your side or shoulder blade.

The pain will be constant and won’t be relieved when you go to the toilet, pass wind or are sick. It is sometimes triggered by eating fatty foods but may occur at any time of the day and it may wake you up during the night.

If you think you are experiencing this, you should contact your GP.

Contact your GP immediately for advice if you develop:

• jaundice
• abdominal pain lasting longer than eight hours
• high temperature and chills
• intense abdominal pain, no position relieves it
• rapid heartbeat
• loss of appetite

If it is not possible to contact your GP immediately, phone your local out-of-hours service or call NHS 111.

For more information on diagnosing Gallstones click here.

Avoid eating foods with high saturated fat content, since cholesterol plays a large part in the formation of gallstones.

Foods high in saturated fat include things such as sausages and fatty cuts of meat, butter, cream, biscuits and food containing coconut or palm oil.

A healthy balanced diet is recommended which includes a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables and wholegrains.

There is also evidence that regularly eating nuts, such as peanuts or cashews can help reduce your risk of developing gallstones.

Read here on how to lower your cholesterol.

Being overweight, particularly being obese increases the amount of cholesterol in your bile. This increases your risk of developing gallstones.

You should control your weight by eating a healthy diet and taking plenty of regular exercise.

You should avoid very low-calorie and rapid weight-loss diets. There is sufficient evidence that these diets can disrupt your bile chemistry and increase your risk of developing gallstones. A more gradual weight loss plan is recommended.

Click here for more on losing weight and exercise.

Treatment is only needed if gallstones are causing symptoms like abdominal pain and complications like jaundice or acute pancreatitis.

In some cases, keyhole surgery to remove the gallbladder may be recommended. This procedure is known as laparoscopic cholecystectomy. It is relatively simple to perform and has a low risk of problems.

You can still lead a perfectly normal life without a gallbladder. Your liver will still produce bile to digest food, but rather than the bile building up to concentrate as it would in the gallbladder, the bile will instead drip continuously into the small intestine.