The Actual Causes of Gall Bladder Pain

As a consequence of inappropriate diet and bad eating habits, more and more people suffer from gall bladder disease these days. Statistics indicate that in the United States alone, around 20 percent of people with ages over 40 suffer from gall bladder disease. The disease also has a high incidence in people with weight problems, people with high blood cholesterol levels and people with gastro-intestinal disorders.

The gall bladder is a small organ that assists the activity of the liver. The gall bladder deposits the bile produced by the liver and quickly releases it inside the small intestine when necessary. Bile is very important in the digestion of fat and a healthy gall bladder provides the organism with this substance as soon as foods containing fat enter the stomach and small intestine. Gallstones are mainly responsible for causing gall bladder disease and therefore, gall bladder pain. However, there are other causes of gall bladder pain apart from the accumulation of gallstones inside the gall bladder.

Gall bladder pain is considered to be the most intense symptom of gall bladder disease. Gall bladder pain has a recidivating character and usually occurs after meals. Gall bladder pain can also intensify with physical effort or sudden moves. Pain attacks can last for a few hours and they are usually triggered by the consumption of foods that are rich in fat. A late meal can cause gall bladder pain during the night and many people with acute forms of gall bladder disease (acute cholecystitis) have problems sleeping due to pain episodes. Gall bladder pain occurs in the upper region of the abdomen, but in the case of a pain attack, it can spread to the mid back and under the right shoulder.

Medical research results indicate that gall bladder pain doesn’t always occur due to gall bladder blockage with gallstones. It is believed that some people have the symptoms of gall bladder disease as a result of intolerance to certain foods. Experiments performed in the past revealed that gall bladder pain attacks occur due to allergic reactions to foods like: eggs, meats with high levels of fat, dairy products and citrus fruits. Gall bladder pain attacks can also be triggered by the consumption of chocolate, coffee and carbonated soda.  The least allergenic foods are considered to be fish, green vegetables and wheat products.

In some cases, the recurrence of gall bladder pain attacks can be avoided through the means of appropriate diet and specific medical treatment. Some interesting research findings reveal that many people who suffer gall bladder surgery still experience gall bladder pain even after the organ is removed from the body. This unusual phenomenon confirms the hypothesis that intolerance to particular foods is the main cause of gall bladder pain, and not the slow release of bile. In many cases, people with gall bladder disease that avoided the foods considered to be triggers of allergic reactions have experienced an amelioration of their symptoms.