Gallbladder is the organ that absorbs inorganic bile salts and water, which later help in contracting movements to release the bile which is a digestive enzyme. This article will discuss the different gall bladder symptoms and the problems, which are responsible for their cause.

Before discussing gall bladder problems it would be important to know about gallbladder biologically.

It is a muscular membranous sac which concentrates and stores the bile and is present under the liver. Its shape is like a pear and is expandable. It has a capacity to hold 50 mol of fluid. The function of its inner surface is to absorb water and inorganic salts from the bile which then becomes concentrated and multiplies. It also contract to discharge bile through the bile duct into a duodenum.

Gallbladder problems are of following types:

There are many disorders corresponding to a gallbladder and the disease leading to the problems are very dangerous and painful.

• These problems generally start within the body due to some common reasons like Irregular and improper dietary habits, heredity and obesity. However, there is no particular reason of their initiation.
• Mostly, they are caused due to minute infections or any hormonal disturbances.
• The root cause of a gallbladder problem is mostly a gall stone.
• A gallstone is basically a harder mass which is a crystalline and solid substance consisting of blood, calcium, bile and cholesterol etc.This stones are generally formed in the gall bladder from where it travels to the small intestine and starts causing problems there.
• The medical terminology for a gallbladder disease goes like –Cholelithiasis, which basically refers to Cholecystitis and gallstones that mean an infected gallbladder.
• It’s a risky disease which enhances anemia and liver problems.
• When gallstones block the flow of bile between the gallbladder and the small intestine it intensifies the problem leading to many severe liver problems.
• Jaundice occurs due to gall bladder problems.
• As bile is a fluid that helps in the breakdown of fatty acids but due to the presence of gallstones, there is a blockage in the way and food remains improperly fragmented.
• It can also reduce blood pressure and heart pumping speeds up.

There are about 90% gallstones that show no symptoms and there is a least chance of pain after their formation in 10 years. After 10 years any chance of developing symptom drops.

Colic or Biliary Pain

The most common and mild pain in case of gallstone development is called Biliary colic, which occurs in the upper right or mid abdomen. Symptoms can be non-specific. The following features may appear in a typical attack.

• The primary gallstone symptom is a gnawing pain near the rib cage in the upper right abdomen which can also radiate to upper back.
• Vomiting or nausea can occur.
• Passing gas, changing positions and taking pain relievers do not relieve the pain.
• Biliary colic disappears after several hours, but if it persists, there may be a severe condition of acute Cholecystitis.
• Fatty meals mainly trigger the pain.

Digestive complaints like feeling full after meals,belching,heartburn,bloating or regurgitation are not caused by a gallbladder disease rather conditions that can produce this include indigestion of any unknown cause,gastroesophageal reflux disease and peptic ulcer.

Symptoms of gallbladder inflammation (Acute Calculous or Calculous Cholecystitis)

• When stones block the bile duct acute Cholecystitis i.e. inflammation of gallbladder occurs. Its symptoms include:
• Severe and constant pain in an upper right abdomen which can last for days. Pain increases with the intake of breath.
• Pain can also radiate to back, behind the breasts, under the shoulder.
• One third of patients have fever and chill.
• Vomiting and nausea are common.

Symptoms of chronic Cholecystitis or Dysfunctional Gallbladder

Chronic gallbladder disease which is called chronic Cholecystitis involves mild inflammation and gallstones. Gallbladder becomes stiff and scarred in such cases. Following are some main symptoms of chronic gallbladder disease;

• After meals there is a feeling of abdominal discomfort, nausea and gas complaints.
• Chronic diarrhea

Symptoms of stones present in the common bile duct (Choledocholithiasis)

• Jaundice and dark urine
• Lighter stool
• Rapid heartbeat and abrupt drop in blood pressure
• Chill, fever, nausea and vomiting.

Patients suffering from such symptoms require emergency treatment.

In women these stress chest pains can be heart related along with many other reasons.Everytime the chest pain is not heart related. The part of spinal cord that receives pain signals from our heart is near the spinal cord area which receives similar signals of chest pain. Sometimes when we have a heart attack the similar pain arises in the arm, back and chest.

Causes of Chest Pains in Women

Here are some of the most striking common causes of chest pain in women and not all are listed here;

• Gall Bladder: Chest pain that may be due to eating is related to a gallbladder disease.
• Arthritis: Chest pain can also be a refer pain of arthritis of a cervical spine.
• Acid reflux: Chest pain which occurs when the stomach is empty.
• Angina pectoris: Chest pain is one of the indications of blocked artries.This blockage actually reduces blood flow to heart. This deprives the heart of oxygen and results in chest pain. Chest pain is like a feeling of pressure on heart.
• Periconditis: Inflammation of lining of heart is also a cause of chest pain.
• Other Cardiac problems: There are other cardiac problems, which are responsible for chest pain.
• Musculoskeletal: Chest pain may also involve skeleton and muscles. This type of chest pain produces tenderness of a chest wall and can also be felt when patient moves shoulder or arm.

Stress chest pain in women is not surprising when the effects of stress on the body are considered. Stress, when it sets a reaction to negative demands on us, is often a “fight or flight” response. It leads to certain physical changes. It prepares the body for a fight against the enemy.If this response is triggered it will call for a flood of brain chemicals such as adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine. These chemicals are then released into the bloodstream and consequently, the body undergoes a series of certain dramatic changes. Some of these changes are:

• Blood is redirected to limb and muscles from a digestive tract.
• Awareness intensifies.
• Breathing becomes faster.
• Muscles tighten and contract.
• Pupils dilates and eyesight sharpens.

Location of the pain

Appendicitis causes pain in the lower right abdomen which is the most usual site of appendicitis.

Diverticulitis causes pain in the lower left abdomen where colonic diverticula are situated.

Gallbladder pain is felt basically in the upper right abdomen where this gallbladder is generally present.

How pain begins?

A sudden abdominal pain suggests a specific event say, for example, the blood supply interruption to colon or bile duct obstruction by any gallstone.

Abdominal pain pattern

Intestinal obstruction causes cramp waves of severe abdominal pain due to intestinal muscle contraction and its distention.

Acute pancreatitis generally causes severe persistent and unrelenting abdominal pain.

Acute appendicitis pain generally starts near an umbilicus but with the further progression in the inflammation, this pain then moves to the lower right abdomen.

Abdominal pain symptoms and character can change with time.

Pain duration

Biliary colic generally lasts for several hours while pancreatic pain lasts for some days.Fuctional pain shows the same periodicity pattern. Abdominal pain gets worse by any sort of inflammation like pancreatitis, appendicitis, cholecystitis and diverticulitis, which is aggravated by coughing, sneezing or any sort of jarring motion.

Pain relief

Abdominal pain due to constipation generally relieves by bowel movements or any change in the bowel habit. Pain that usually awakens the patient from sleep normally bears non functional causes. Acid which causes irritation in ulcer patients can cause pain in stomach or duodenum and its effects can be minimized by taking neutralizers as antacids, which combine with food to neutralize its effects.

A clear sign of inflammation is fever, which should be noticed immediately while rectal bleeding and diarrhea suggest that the abdominal cause of pain is hidden in the intestinal complications which can be infectious or non-infectious like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.