Improper Diet And Obesity Cause Gallstones (part II)

If the gallstones are not large, the disease can be completely asymptomatic , or with symptoms that are easily ignored by patients.
  

Bile crises usually occur at night or after overeating. The first symptoms are pain, bloating, gas and indigestion.
 

Often the pain can spread to the back and even between the shoulders. The pain is recurrent and lasts from 30 minutes to several hours. The pain may be accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, fever and yellowing of the sclera of the eyes. Another characteristic feature is light stools.
 

In the presence of these symptoms, it is advisable to seek medical attention in a timely manner to avoid more serious complications.
 

Some of the more important complications are:

• inflammation of the lining of the gallbladder (cholecystitis)
• obstruction of one of the ducts of the biliary system by gallstones and blocking the flow of bile, etc. digestive juices to the small intestine
• it is necessary to know that long-term gallstone disease is precancerous (ie, on its basis may develop malignant tumors of the gallbladder).

Depending on the type of stones, their size and location, as well as the general health of the patient, the doctor will prescribe the most appropriate treatment.
 

The stones formed in the gallbladder can be dissolved by medication . Cholesterol stones respond better to drug therapy. However, it takes a long time to dissolve the stones, which can take months. A disadvantage of drug therapy is that it temporarily increases the levels of serum cholesterol and liver enzymes and can cause gastrointestinal disorders.
 

Another method of crushing gallstones is the so-called. contact crushing therapy, in which a drug that breaks down stones is injected directly into the gallbladder. For a period of 1 to 3 days, several stones can be crushed. Success is achieved in 85-90% of cases.
 

Mechanical sound waves ( lithotripsy ) can also be used to break up the pebbles. This modern method uses high-energy waves to break up gallstones into small pieces that can pass through the bile duct without causing blockage and thus be excreted in the small intestine.
 

Non-surgically treated stones often re-form, and this requires surgery at some point. The most effective and therefore the most common is surgical treatment by removing the gallbladder (cholecystectomy). It can be performed endoscopically or by extensive laparotomy.
 

Laparoscopic surgeries are becoming increasingly popular and preferred because they are minimally invasive, the patient recovers quickly, and postoperative complications are rare.


Prevention
 

Proper diet and regular physical activity are the best way to prevent the formation of gallstones. Studies show that regular exercise minimizes the risk of gallstones.
 

Since most gallstones are cholesterol, it is recommended to avoid foods high in cholesterol. It is believed that foods rich in sugars and animal fats and low in fiber significantly increase the risk of gallstones.
 

According to studies conducted by Spanish doctors, cholelithiasis is twice less common in vegetarians than in meat eaters. This is due to the fact that vegetarians consume less fatty foods, and are less likely to suffer from obesity, which is a major prerequisite for gallstone disease.
 

However, vegetarians are not immune to stone formation, especially those who consume a lot of vegetable oils.
 

Another provoker of gallstone disease is an irregular stomach. It has been found that in people suffering from constipation, the risk of disease is higher. A proper diet that regulates bowel function also reduces the risk of gallstones.
 

Sometimes bile crises occur as a result of food allergies . In such patients, stopping the food that causes the allergy leads to significant relief of bile complaints.