Cholelithiasis
Cholelithiasis Causes
Cholesthiasis can spawn out of different factors, such as body chemistry, body mass, gallbladder movement and sometimes diet. People suffering from erythropoietic protoporphyria are more prone to acquire gallstones. Cholesterol gallstones form when the bile has excess cholesterol but lack bile salts. Other factors such as increased oestrogen numbers due to pregnancy or hormonal contraception may raise the cholesterol levels and at the same time slow down gall bladder movement, leading to cholesthiasis. People suffering from cholesthiasis experience back pain, shoulder pain, as well as vomiting and nausea. They usually experience these symptoms after eating a good meal. Other ailments include indigestion, belching, lowgrade fever, clay-colored stool and jaundice.
Cholelithiasis Characteristics and Features
Size- a gallstone may be as small as granule of sugar or as big as a golf ball. Its size varies from a single stone or a cluster of many small ones. Content- gallstones can be classified either of cholesterol or pigment content. Cholesterol stones are green, white, or yellow and are made up of cholesterol. Pigment stones meanwhile are dark and consist of bilirubin and calcium salts.
Cholelithiasis Definition
Cholelithiasis is the process of forming gallstones or choleliths in the body through accretion of bile components. They can develop anywhere in the biliary area such as a gallbladder and the bile duct. Once the bile duct becomes affected by this process it can cause choledocholithiasis, while obstruction of the biliary tree can lead to jaundice. The gallstones can also reach the pancreas, thus resulting to pancreatitis.
Cholelithiasis Treatment
Gallstones can be treated using a number of methods. The first is by having them dissolved by ursodeoxycholic acid. They may reemerge however, once the treatment is stopped. Endoscopic retrograde sphinceterotomy followed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography may be taken when the bile duct has already been damaged. Choleliths can also be removed by surgery. However, cholecystectomy can cause side effects such as gastrointestinal pain and abdominal pains. Other patients meanwhile treat gallstones by taking a ?gallbladder flush?. In this case the patient takes 4-5 glasses of apple cider and consumes 5 apples each day for five days. He then fasts, takes magnesium and finally drinks large amounts of lemon juice with olive oil. The following day a number of green pebbles are flushed out of their system, purportedly being gallstones. But this treatment has been found to be false and the stones flushed are not gallstones but only hardened olive oil.