Gallstones
What is Gallstones?
Gallstones are hardened deposits that form inside your gallbladder. Your gallbladder is a small organ beneath your liver that stores bile. Bile is a digestive fluid that helps break down fats from the food you eat.
These stones can range from tiny grains of sand to golf ball sized masses. Some people develop just one gallstone. Others form dozens at the same time. Gallstones form when substances in bile, like cholesterol or bilirubin, become too concentrated and crystallize into solid particles.
Many people with gallstones never experience symptoms and never need treatment. However, gallstones can block the ducts that carry bile from your gallbladder to your small intestine. When this happens, you may need immediate medical care to prevent serious complications like infection or inflammation.
Symptoms
- Sudden and intense pain in the upper right abdomen
- Pain between the shoulder blades or in the right shoulder
- Nausea or vomiting
- Yellowing of the skin and eyes, called jaundice
- Dark colored urine
- Light colored or chalky stools
- Fever or chills if infection develops
- Indigestion or bloating after eating fatty foods
Many people have gallstones with no symptoms at all. These silent gallstones may only be discovered during imaging tests for other health issues. Symptoms typically appear when a stone blocks a bile duct.
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Causes and risk factors
Gallstones form when your bile contains too much cholesterol, too much bilirubin, or not enough bile salts. Cholesterol stones are the most common type in the United States. They form when your liver produces more cholesterol than your bile can dissolve. Pigment stones form when bile contains too much bilirubin, often due to liver disease or blood disorders.
Risk factors include being female, over age 40, having obesity, rapid weight loss, pregnancy, eating a high fat or high cholesterol diet, having diabetes, taking certain medications like hormone therapy, and having a family history of gallstones. Native American and Mexican American populations face higher risk. Your gallbladder may also not empty properly, allowing bile to become overly concentrated.
How it's diagnosed
Doctors diagnose gallstones using imaging tests like ultrasound, CT scans, or MRI. These tests can show the location and size of stones in your gallbladder or bile ducts. Blood tests help identify complications from gallstones, such as blocked bile ducts or inflammation of the pancreas.
Rite Aid offers blood testing that measures bilirubin levels, which rise when gallstones block bile ducts and prevent proper bile flow. We also test lipase, an enzyme that increases when gallstones block the pancreatic duct and cause inflammation. Testing these biomarkers helps detect complications early, before they become serious health emergencies.
Treatment options
- Surgery to remove the gallbladder, called cholecystectomy, is the most common treatment for symptomatic gallstones
- Laparoscopic surgery allows removal through small incisions with faster recovery times
- Medications to dissolve cholesterol stones may work for some patients but can take months or years
- Eating smaller, more frequent meals instead of large heavy meals
- Reducing dietary fat intake to decrease gallbladder contractions
- Maintaining a healthy weight through gradual, steady weight loss rather than crash diets
- Staying physically active to help maintain healthy cholesterol levels
- Eating more fiber from vegetables, fruits, and whole grains
- Emergency procedures may be needed if stones cause severe blockages or infections
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- Simple blood draw at your nearest lab
- Results in days, not weeks
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Frequently asked questions
Gallstones do not dissolve or go away on their own. Once formed, they remain in your gallbladder unless removed by surgery or dissolved with medication. However, if your gallstones cause no symptoms, your doctor may recommend simply monitoring them rather than treatment. Many people live their entire lives with silent gallstones that never cause problems.
A gallstone attack causes sudden, intense pain in your upper right abdomen. The pain may radiate to your back or right shoulder blade. Attacks often happen after eating a fatty meal and can last from a few minutes to several hours. You may also feel nauseous or vomit during an attack.
Blood tests measure bilirubin and lipase levels to identify blockages caused by gallstones. When stones block bile ducts, bilirubin builds up in your blood instead of being excreted normally. If stones block the pancreatic duct, lipase levels rise as this digestive enzyme accumulates. These markers help doctors catch complications early.
You can reduce your risk by maintaining a healthy weight, eating regular meals, and limiting saturated fats. Include plenty of fiber from vegetables, whole grains, and fruits in your diet. Avoid rapid weight loss or crash diets, which increase gallstone risk. Regular physical activity also helps maintain healthy cholesterol and bile composition.
You only need gallbladder removal if your stones cause symptoms or complications. Silent gallstones that cause no problems typically require no treatment. If you experience repeated attacks, blockages, infection, or inflammation, surgery becomes necessary. Most people live normal, healthy lives after gallbladder removal.
Your liver continues producing bile after gallbladder removal. Instead of storing bile, it drips continuously into your small intestine. Most people digest food normally after surgery. Some people experience temporary loose stools or more frequent bowel movements. Eating smaller, less fatty meals often helps during the adjustment period.
Yes, women are twice as likely as men to develop gallstones. Female hormones like estrogen increase cholesterol levels in bile and decrease gallbladder movement. Pregnancy, birth control pills, and hormone replacement therapy further increase risk. The risk gap narrows after menopause but women remain at higher risk overall.
Yes, gallstones are a leading cause of acute pancreatitis. When a stone travels from the gallbladder and blocks the pancreatic duct, digestive enzymes get trapped. This causes inflammation and damage to pancreatic tissue. Blood tests showing elevated lipase levels help diagnose this serious complication, which requires immediate medical attention.
Gallstones can take years to form as cholesterol or bilirubin gradually crystallizes in bile. Some stones grow slowly over decades while others form more rapidly. Factors like rapid weight loss, pregnancy, or certain medications can speed up stone formation. Regular monitoring through blood tests can help detect complications before stones cause serious problems.
Cholesterol stones form when bile contains too much cholesterol and appear yellow or green. They account for about 80 percent of gallstones in the United States. Pigment stones form from excess bilirubin and appear dark brown or black. They are more common in people with liver disease, blood disorders, or infections of the bile ducts.