A gallstone is a small stone that forms inside the gallbladder. Often these stones are made out of cholesterol. If the gallstones remain little and do not enter into important passageways that lead into and out of the gallbladder.
If a gallstone becomes stuck in one of the ducts of the gallbladder, it can cause a serious amount of pain and discomfort. In addition, if gallstones are not treated a problematic gallstone may lead to jaundice, inflammation, infections, and fever.
This could lead to a person being in pain for several hours at a time. If the gallstone is blocking passageways, it may lead to the need to have the gallbladder completely removed. Since gallstones can cause some health issues it is important to try to keep them from developing in the first place, which is why it is important to know what causes them. Here are some of the ten most common causes of gallstones.
1. Excessive Cholesterol
In most cases, gallstones are made of cholesterol. These stones will form in the gallbladder when the bile in the body has too much cholesterol. When there is too much cholesterol in the body the chemicals found in the bile that is made by the liver may not be able to dissolve it effectively. When the liver is filled with more cholesterol than it can deal with, it typically will result in gallstones forming. When cholesterol-based gallstones form, they may not present any type of serious health problems.
This is because they often remain small in size and attach to the wall of the gallbladder. However, when one of the gallstones moves and becomes stuck in a sensitive area, such as the duct that leads to the gallbladder, health issues can occur. In order to keep this from happening it is best to limit the cholesterol in your diet.
