Gallstones: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
Gallstones are hardened deposits in the gallbladder. Many cause no trouble at all, but some trigger pain after meals, inflammation or jaundice and need treatment.
- Gastroenterology
- 4 urgent warning signs
At a glance
- Department
- Gastroenterology
- Hospital
- Goga Ji Hospital
- Location
- Jawahar Colony, Near Disposal Chowk, Faridabad
- Appointments
- +91-9266088551
This page explains the condition in plain language: what it is, what causes it, what to watch for, and when a symptom needs urgent attention rather than an appointment.
What is gallstones?
Gallstones are hardened deposits that form in the gallbladder, the small sac under the liver that stores bile. They are extremely common, and a large proportion of people who have them never know.
Trouble starts when a stone blocks the outlet of the gallbladder or moves into the bile duct. That causes pain after meals, inflammation, or jaundice — and once stones have caused one episode, further episodes usually follow.
Symptoms
Many gallstones are silent. When they do cause symptoms, the pattern is fairly characteristic.
- Pain in the upper right abdomen, often coming on after a fatty or heavy meal
- Pain that builds over minutes and lasts from thirty minutes to a few hours
- Pain spreading to the back or right shoulder blade
- Nausea and vomiting with the pain
- Bloating, and intolerance of fatty food
- Fever with constant pain, suggesting inflammation
- Yellowing of the eyes or skin, dark urine and pale stools, suggesting a blocked bile duct
Causes and risk factors
Gallstones form when bile becomes chemically imbalanced.
- Being female — gallstones are considerably more common in women
- Pregnancy, and oestrogen-containing medication
- Being overweight
- Rapid weight loss or prolonged fasting, which paradoxically encourages stone formation
- Increasing age
- Family history
- Diabetes
- A diet high in refined carbohydrate and low in fibre
When to seek help
The first group needs emergency care today. The second warrants an appointment.
Go to emergency now
- Severe constant abdominal pain with fever and vomiting
- Yellowing of the eyes or skin
- Pain with confusion or feeling very unwell — this may be serious infection of the bile duct
- Severe pain radiating through to the back, which may indicate pancreatitis
Book an appointment
- Recurrent pain after meals
- Gallstones found incidentally on a scan, for a discussion about whether to act
- Persistent bloating and fat intolerance
- A single episode of typical gallstone pain that has settled
How it is diagnosed
Ultrasound is the main test, and is usually definitive.
- Abdominal ultrasound, which shows stones in the gallbladder reliably
- Blood tests for liver function, inflammation and pancreatic enzymes
- Further imaging where a stone in the bile duct is suspected
- Endoscopic assessment where a duct stone needs removing
Treatment
Symptomatic gallstones are treated by removing the gallbladder. Silent stones are frequently just observed.
Watchful observation
For stones found by chance that have never caused symptoms. Many never will.
Laparoscopic gallbladder removal
The definitive treatment for symptomatic stones — keyhole surgery, usually with a short recovery.
Endoscopic removal of duct stones
Where a stone has passed into the bile duct, it can be removed endoscopically, generally before the gallbladder is taken out.
Treating complications
Inflammation, infection or pancreatitis caused by stones is treated first, with surgery timed accordingly.
Dietary measures
Reducing fatty and fried food can lessen attacks while awaiting surgery, but does not remove the stones.
Living with it
Before surgery, and after.
- While waiting: reduce fatty, fried and heavy meals, which commonly trigger attacks
- Eat regularly rather than fasting for long stretches
- Avoid crash dieting, which encourages further stone formation
- Know the warning signs that need urgent care: fever, jaundice, constant severe pain
- After gallbladder removal: most people eat normally, though a minority need to reintroduce very fatty food gradually
Frequently asked questions
Do gallstones always need to be removed?
No. Stones that have never caused symptoms are frequently left alone and simply observed, since many never cause trouble. Once they have caused pain, inflammation or jaundice, removal is usually recommended — because further attacks are likely and complications can be serious.
Can gallstones be dissolved or passed like kidney stones?
Not reliably. Medication can dissolve certain small stones slowly, but it suits only a minority of patients and stones commonly return once treatment stops. Unlike kidney stones, gallstones do not usefully 'pass' — a stone leaving the gallbladder into the bile duct is a complication, not a resolution.
Will I have to avoid fatty food forever after surgery?
Most people return to a normal diet. Without a gallbladder, bile flows continuously into the intestine rather than being released in a bolus, which some people notice after very fatty meals in the first few months. It usually settles.
Why does gallstone pain come after meals?
Because eating — especially fatty food — makes the gallbladder contract to release bile. If a stone is sitting at the outlet, that contraction squeezes against the blockage, producing the characteristic pain that builds and then eases.
This page is general health information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your history, medication or test results. Please speak to a qualified doctor about your own symptoms and treatment. If you think you are having a medical emergency, seek immediate help.
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