What Is The Function Of Gallbladder In Human Body

What Is The Function Of Gallbladder In Human Body – While the liver works hard to produce bile that aids digestion, the gallbladder holds the bile until you actually need it. Shutterstock

Just below the right lobe of the liver is the hollow, pear-shaped gallbladder. When filled with bile waiting to help digest food, the organ can grow up to 8 to 10 centimeters (cm) and up to 4 cm wide.

What Is The Function Of Gallbladder In Human Body

Unless you’ve had a gallstone or had your gallbladder surgically removed, you probably think little about it. Alright then. But if it causes you severe pain or other problems, you may need to abandon this small organ.

Understanding Gallbladder Disease

While the liver works hard to produce the dark green bile that aids digestion, the gallbladder holds the bile until you actually need it, says Erin Gilbert, MD, assistant professor of surgery at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. “It concentrates bile into the form that is best used for digestion,” says Dr. Gilbert. “When you eat, bile is squeezed from the gallbladder and enters the first part of the small intestine, the duodenum, through the common bile duct.”

The liver produces 500 to 1,000 milliliters (ml) of bile per day, but the gallbladder can concentrate that bile up to tenfold and store 30 to 50 ml of the thickest bile.

Gallstones form when one of two substances – cholesterol or bilirubin – becomes supersaturated in bile and crystallizes, just as sugar crystallizes when someone makes rock candy. Bilirubin is a brownish-yellow substance in bile that forms when old red blood cells in the liver break down. Your body normally eliminates bilirubin through the intestines (it’s the reason for the color of your stool). Gallstones caused by bilirubin are rarer than those formed by hardened cholesterol and are more common in people with blood disorders, such as sickle cell anemia.

What is the best diet for a healthy gallbladder? “Most gallstones are formed from cholesterol, so eating a low-cholesterol, low-fat diet is your best bet for gallbladder health,” says Cathleen Khandelwal, MD, general surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic.

Gallstones Excel Hospital Treatment

Any diet that qualifies as “heart healthy” is also “gallbladder healthy.” This means a diet with some healthy monounsaturated fats, such as those found in nuts, avocados, seeds, olives, peanut butter and the oils in these products. Polyunsaturated fats should also be part of a balanced diet and are found in oily fish, walnuts, flaxseed and vegetable oils. Avoiding foods that increase cholesterol levels also reduces the risk of gallstones.

Almost as important as what you eat, however, is how often you eat. “If you eat one large meal a day, it increases the likelihood of stones, because bile remains in the gallbladder for a long period of time before being excreted,” says Gilbert. The longer the bile remains, the more time there is for the cholesterol in the bile to become supersaturated and crystallize into gallstones.

In addition to a healthy diet, a healthy weight keeps the gallbladder functioning well. Obese individuals have a higher risk of gallstones, but that doesn’t mean you should go on a crash diet to lose weight: Even rapid weight loss can cause stones, Gilbert says. It’s OK to lose weight, but “you don’t want to lose it all at once,” she says.

Another way to avoid stones is to keep your cholesterol under control, including taking statins if you have high cholesterol, she says. Some evidence supports taking regular vitamin C supplements to prevent gallstones, and, oddly enough, drinking coffee appears to offer some protection against gallstones formed by cholesterol as well.

What Does The Gallbladder Do And What Causes Gallstones?

In addition to those who suffer from obesity and those who eat a low- or high-fat diet or have high cholesterol levels, pregnant women are also more likely to get gallstones, which means they may need to pay special attention to fatty foods during the pregnancy. Those with certain blood disorders, such as sickle cell anemia, may have a higher risk of stones caused by bilirubin.

Older adults and people of certain ethnicities, such as Native Americans, also have a higher risk of gallstones, and having a family history of gallstones can double your risk of developing one. Some medications, such as oral contraceptives, can increase the risk of gallstones, but the increased risk is small and should not prevent someone from taking the necessary medication.

In fact, up to 12 percent of the population has gallstones, Gilbert says, but only a minority of these cause problems.

Up to 80 percent of people will never have gallstone symptoms, and you don’t need to do anything about it, Gilbert says. But if there’s a problem, you usually know it: The pain can be intense. “The pain is generally described as sharp, stabbing, and very excruciating—a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10,” says Gilbert. The pain most commonly comes after eating a fatty meal because “fat is the strongest trigger for gallbladder emptying,” she says.

You And Your Gallbladder.

Where the gallbladder is located, under the breastbone, and can radiate to the back, says Dr. Khandelwal. It can last several hours and may be accompanied by nausea, he adds.

But the pain can also be a dull ache on the right side, like a stomach ache or heartburn with bloating, Gilbert says.

The best test for gallstones is ultrasound. “It’s quick and safe and gives us a lot of information about what the gallbladder looks like, and it has pretty high accuracy,” Gilbert says. The sonographer will be able to see gallstones or gallbladder irritation, such as a thickened wall or fluid around the gallbladder.

Some patients may undergo a second type of test called a HIDA (hepatobiliary) scan, in which a radioactive chemical is injected into the arm and the technician watches what happens when it reaches the gallbladder. Generally, HIDA scans are performed only on patients who have other underlying conditions or who have symptoms of gallbladder pain, but who do not have stones on ultrasound.

Do You Know Malfunction Of Gallbladder Can Be A Cause Of High Cholesterol, Vitamin D Deficiency And Hormonal Imbalance??

If it causes no symptoms, or if you pass it on like a few lucky people do, nothing. “But if they cause problems,” Gilbert says, the gallbladder may need to be removed. If the person experiences pain, called biliary colic, or develops a gallbladder infection, called cholecystitis, gallbladder surgery is probably in the stars.

“If stones leave the gallbladder and travel down the duct, they can cause some pretty serious complications, so it’s important to take care of them if you have a problem,” Khandelwal says.

Leaked stones can cause blockages in the ducts leading to jaundice or pancreatitis, Gilbert says. Any of these symptoms would require gallbladder surgery, called a cholecystectomy.

If you need a cholecystectomy or gallbladder removal surgery, it usually means a week or two off work. The laparoscopic surgery involves an incision near the belly button and two or three under the ribs on the right, Gilbert says. Although this is usually an outpatient procedure, it requires general anesthesia because the surgeon will fill the abdomen with carbon dioxide to expand it and make the work easier.

Human Gallbladder Anatomy Hi Res Stock Photography And Images

Expect three to five days of pain, which may require narcotic pain medication, and avoid strenuous activity for at least two weeks, Gilbert says. People typically recover completely within four to six weeks and may experience short-term diarrhea.

Perhaps 1 to 2 percent of people will have loose stools whenever they eat particularly greasy or greasy meals, Gilbert says. But gallbladder removal should not cause weight loss or gain and will not cause any vitamin deficiencies.

Most people without gallbladders should expect no other long-term changes. “In fact, they will be able to eat things they couldn’t before,” Khandelwal says. “The liver continues to produce bile and drip it into the stomach and intestines. It may take a little longer to digest fried chicken, but maybe not.”

The gallbladder stores bile, which helps the body break down and digest the fats you eat. Disorders such as gallstones can cause problems with the functioning of the gallbladder…

The Stomach, Gallbladder, And Pancreas: 3d Anatomy Model

Like any surgery, gallbladder removal carries the risk of some complications. These include bile leaks, blood clots and potential digestive changes…

Gallstones occur when one or more substances that make up bile become too concentrated and form a hard stone. Other gallbladder problems…

Some people need to maintain a modified diet after gallbladder surgery. Follow this diet for effective recovery from gallbladder surgery.

Gallbladder cancer is very rare, but people with gallstones are at increased risk of developing this form of cancer.

All About Gallbladder And Its Problems

There is no surefire way to prevent gallstones, but there are things you can do to reduce your risk. Get tips on preventing gallstones.

Excess estrogen increases the risk of pregnant women developing gallstones. Read more to know how to prevent gallstones during pregnancy. In vertebrates, the gallbladder, also known as the gallbladder, is a small hollow organ where bile is stored and condensed before being released into the small intestine. In humans, the pear-shaped gallbladder is located beneath the liver, although the structure and location of the gallbladder can vary

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