How dangerous are gallstones?

Gallstones are a condition in which bile pigments are deposited, forming bile sludge or stones in the bile ducts, causing stagnation and obstruction of bile flow. This is one of the common gallbladder diseases in tropical countries, Dr. Do Tuan Anh, Head of the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, said on August 30.

According to Dr. Tuan Anh, currently, the method of diagnosing and treating gallstones has made many advances, the number of hospitalized patients has not decreased. Some people with gallstones, stones in the liver do not have obvious symptoms, when the pain lasts for a long time, high fever, jaundice, yellow urine... is when the disease causes serious complications.

Gallstones in the main bile duct, including common bile duct stones, common hepatic duct stones and the first part of the right and left hepatic duct, even if they are just beginning to appear, are more serious than gallstones in the gallbladder. This disease often causes dangerous complications such as septic shock, biliary peritonitis, and biliary necrosis. Patients need surgery as soon as possible.

Doctor Tuan Anh examines a patient with gallstones. Photo: KO

The symptoms of gallstones vary from person to person. The location of the stones in the body also causes different signs of the disease. Typical symptoms of gallstones are:

- Right hypochondriac pain: The pain usually occurs in the right hypochondriac or epigastric region, spreading to the right shoulder and back. The pain is often dull or severe depending on the location of the stone.

- Fever, chills: The patient has a cold due to biliary tract infection or cholecystitis; fever above 38 degrees with chills, sweating a lot after the fever subsides.

- Digestive disorders: Some patients with gallstones are afraid of greasy foods, have heartburn, bloating, indigestion... These symptoms are easily misdiagnosed with some diseases related to the digestive tract, stomach pain, so treatment is not appropriate.

- Jaundice: Depending on the progression of gallstones, the patient's jaundice level will vary. This symptom is often accompanied by severe itching.

Early detection of gallstones will result in effective treatment, preventing dangerous complications such as bile permeation into the peritoneum and bile peritonitis; acute pancreatitis due to gallstones; biliary bleeding; purulent cholangitis and hepatobiliary abscess. Septic shock of the biliary tract is a serious complication, often occurring in the elderly, 75% in patients over 50 years old. This is the leading cause of death.

In addition, gallstones also cause chronic complications such as biliary cirrhosis and biliary tract cancer. Bile ducts in the liver are gradually destroyed, toxic substances accumulate in the liver and sometimes lead to scarring of liver tissue (cirrhosis).