Many people suffer from bile pain every now and then. Both the gallbladder and the bile duct are extremely sensitive to external influences, so even the smallest changes can cause severe pain. The complaints are often caused by a reduced bile flow due to stone problems, as well as inflammation of the gall bladder. Physical and psychological stress can also be responsible for the complaints and lead to the proverbial “bile”.
Gallstones in the gallbladder are often responsible for severe pain. Image: Henrie – fotolia
Table of Contents
- Bile pain definition and symptoms
- Pain from gallstones
- Gallbladder infection
- Bile disorders due to psychological stress
- Diet for bile pain
- treatment
- Naturopathy and home remedies for biliary pain
In any case, a doctor should be consulted to find out the cause of the bile pain. With the help of a detailed examination, laboratory tests and imaging methods (such as ultrasound), the patient can clarify whether there is actually a biliary disease. A visit to the doctor is very important because, for example, if a gallbladder infection is not treated in time, serious complications such as a liver abscess or an intestinal obstruction can occur.
Gallstones in the gallbladder are often responsible for severe pain. Image: Henrie – fotolia
Bile pain definition and symptoms
The term “bile” is used colloquially to refer to both the gallbladder and the bile it contains. But that is not entirely true, because the “gall system” also includes numerous bile ducts, some of which are finely branched within the liver and lead to the gall bladder and from there out of the liver as a liver bile duct. Together with the main or execution duct of the pancreas, this ends up in the papilla of the duodenum (“duodenum”), which forms the connecting piece between the stomach and the empty intestine.
The pear-shaped gallbladder is located on the underside of the liver and, like the lungs and uterus, is a so-called “hollow organ”. The gallbladder’s job is to store, thicken and, if necessary, store the bile produced by the liver to deliver the bile ducts into the duodenum. The secretion created between meals serves on the one hand due to its fat-soluble components for fat digestion. In addition, the bile supports the removal of fat-soluble breakdown products from the liver, in that they enter the intestine with the liquid and are excreted (“bowel movements of the liver”).
The gallbladder and bile ducts are very sensitive structures, which is why even the smallest changes can cause complaints in this area. If the flow of bile is blocked by gallstones , for example , this can cause severe upper abdominal pain and a number of other unpleasant consequences such as sweating, nausea and vomitingcause. However, an organic cause of the bile pain cannot always be identified. Instead, it can also be a functional disorder of the gallbladder and bile ducts. Although this causes similar or the same symptoms as a recognizable biliary disease, it is based on psychological stress such as pent-up anger, anger or unresolved conflicts.
Pain from gallstones
Gallstones in particular can cause severe pain . These are solid, crystal-like deposits in the gallbladder or bile ducts that affect up to 20 percent of all people in this country. However, the deposits often go unnoticed (“silent stones”) and only lead to problems in about every fourth case. The size of the stones can vary widely and range from a few millimeters (“semolina”) to several centimeters.
There are many reasons for the formation of gallstones. The bile consists mostly of water, in addition there are a number of other substances such as cholesterol, bile acid, calcium carbonate and the bile pigment bilirubin. If these components are in a certain relationship to one another, they remain dissolved in the liquid and form a stable bile juice. However, if one of the substances is present in too high a concentration, it can crystallize and gallstones form – which in most cases consist of cholesterol (cholesterol stones) or bilirubin pigment material (pigment stones). Gender obviously plays a central role here, because women are affected much more often than men. Other important risk factors are a high-fat diet, lack of exercise,Obesity and old age.
Certain diseases such as diabetes mellitus and inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis can also have a beneficial effect on the development. Experts often speak of the so-called “6F rule” in connection with gallstones. According to this, women (“female”) over 40 years (“forty”) who have already had several children (“fertile”), are overweight (“fat”) and are of a more Nordic type (“fair”) are particularly common Gallstones affected. In addition, there is a genetic predisposition to the disease, which is why the probability increases even more if gallstone problems have already occurred within the family (“family”).
In most cases, gallstones pose no danger, but if they reach a certain size, serious problems can arise. If they block the gallbladder duct or main bile duct, an increase in pressure in this area is possible, which in turn can lead to severe biliary pain.
The pain referred to as “biliary colic” occurs in the right upper abdomen, but can also radiate up to the shoulder and be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. In most cases, sufferers of gallstones suffer from attack-like upper abdominal pain, which can last up to several hours, but then go away on their own. If the bile can no longer flow unhindered and builds up accordingly, serious health consequences such as inflammation of the gall bladder or bile ducts, jaundice, liver damage or, in very rare cases, even a gall bladder tumor can occur. Therefore, the complaints should definitely be clarified medically.
Gallbladder infection
Acute gallbladder infection (cholecystitis) can also be the reason for the complaints. This is a febrile illness, which in most cases is caused by gallstones (calculus). In rare cases, however, it is also possible that it develops without gallstones (acalcal), for example as a result of major abdominal surgery, a wound in the upper abdomen or inflammation of other organs (e.g. kidneys). Other rarer causes are infections (e.g. from Salmonella), malformations, polyps and tumors of the gallbladder, and parasites such as roundworms are also responsible for the symptoms. Typical of a disease caused by gallstones are severe, attack-like pain (“biliary colic”) in the right upper abdomen, which many sufferers describe as dull or oppressive and can last from a few minutes to several hours. Often they radiate in the shoulder and back area at the same time and are therefore experienced as hardly bearable.
Such colic often occurs after copious, high-fat meals that stimulate the gallbladder to release bile acid. The stone is moved and transported into the narrow biliary tract, where it can get stuck in various places and cause massive pain. In addition to this, constipation, bloating , bloating, nausea and vomitingas well as the symptoms of jaundice (jaundice) such as yellow eyes, because the bilirubin can no longer flow freely as a result of the obstacle and is deposited in the tissue. Since this is also absent in the small intestine, light bowel movements or, in some cases, fatty stools occur. It is also possible to have a strikingly dark urine as a result of the “redirected” excretion of the dye via the kidneys and a strong itching sensation due to the increased concentration of bile acid in the blood and skin.
