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Massive pain from gallstones Almost always an operation is required
Although many people have gallstones, not everyone is aware of them. According to experts, up to 80 percent of those affected know nothing about it. Sometimes gallstones can cause severe pain. Surgery is in many cases the most promising therapy.
Many do not know about their gallstones
Gallstones are more common than you think. This has to do with the fact that many people do not know that they are affected. As explained by the professional association of German internists, about 26 percent of women and 18 percent of men over 40 have gallstones in Germany. About 60 to 80 percent of those affected know nothing about it. The risk group also speaks of the "five F": female, fat, fertile, forty, fair (female, overweight, fertile, forty years old, fair-skinned or blonde). The stones cause no complaints, according to health experts, no treatment is needed. But if it does happen, they usually have to be removed. In a message from the dpa news agency, experts have important information on the topic.
Gallstones: When is an OR useful? Image: lom123 - fotolia Bile secretion ensures digestion of fats
Proverbs such as "The bile is over him" or "The bile comes up to her" most people have probably ever heard in connection with feelings after long-sucked anger, bitterness and aggression. Although bile is associated with negative emotions like hardly any other organ, it actually has an extremely important function: the viscous secretion of bile ensures a smooth digestion of fats. "About half a liter of bile juice is produced in the liver every day," explains the director of the Department of Internal Medicine II at the University Hospital of the Saarland in Homburg, Prof. Frank Lammert in the agency message. According to him, the bile is mostly water, but also cholesterol, lime and pigments. In fact, these substances are water-soluble, but when they - for whatever reason - get into an imbalance, crystals form. There are gallstones.
Without treatment threatening severe damage
"Mostly, gallstones consist of cholesterol," explains Lammert. According to the expert, who is also on the Board of Education and Training at the German Society of Gastroenterology, Digestive and Metabolic Diseases (DGVS), gallstones do not always cause discomfort. "About 75 percent of those affected notice nothing of this," says the physician. Then there is talk of so-called "dumb stones". If they are flushed into the bile duct and get stuck there, they become dangerous. As a result, bile secretion then accumulates and can no longer flow into the intestine. The bile is there - usually - for the dissolution of fats.
However, this does not happen if the bile due to stones no longer enters the intestine. "Stones stuck in the bile duct can cause inflammation of the gallbladder and the pancreas," says Lammert. If treatment does not cause enormous health problems. Thus, severe liver damage, blood poisoning or jaundice threaten and in exceptional cases, it can even lead to gallbladder cancer.
Every fourth affected person is hereditary
Factors that favor gallstones include overweight and lack of exercise. But there is more: "About 25 percent of all gallstone carriers are genetically pre-loaded," explains Lammert. In addition, women and men who first lose weight and then regain their weight run the risk of gallstones forming in their bodies. "Women are more affected by gallstones than men," said the doctor. This has to do with the fact that five percent of all pregnant women develop gallstones. "The oral contraceptive pill can also promote the development of gallstones." They can be manifested among other things by upper abdominal pain, bloating or nausea. "The symptoms often occur after a large and high-fat meal," explains the pharmacist and deputy spokeswoman at the Federal Association of German Pharmacist Associations (ABDA) in Berlin, Ursula Sellerberg. However, it can also come completely unexpected to a biliary colic. "This causes severe pain in the upper abdomen for at least 15 minutes, which can radiate into the shoulder or back," says Lammert.
In some cases, surgery is necessary
Such colic is usually triggered by a stone from the gallbladder slipping into the bile duct and clogging it. The musculature, which wants to push the stone in the bile duct to clear the way for the bile, it pulls together convulsively. The resulting severe pain attacks run in waves and can last up to five hours and also lead to sweating. Those affected should consult a doctor even if the colic passes by itself. As stated in the dpa report, gallstones should be released from the body along with the gallbladder if they cause such discomfort.
"Every year around 190,000 gallbladders are surgically removed in Germany," reports Lammert. Although gallstones can also be smashed with shock waves, there is a danger here that new stones will form quickly afterwards. Even medicines can help. "Such a therapy is only successful with very small stones and usually takes a few months to years," explains Sellerberg.
Nurture well and move a lot
To prevent gallstones, attention should be paid to a balanced diet. In addition, health experts advise to move a lot. The Munich naturopath Ursula Hilpert-Mühlig, who is also Vice President of the Association of German Non-medical Practitioners (FDH) based in Bonn, has other tips: She believes that people with a tendency to bile problems may also be able to help a mindfulness training or relaxation exercises to reduce stress because body and soul form a unity and blocked emotions such as aggression and anger can shatter the life energy. (Ad)