Gallstone Pancreatitis, A Painful Digestive Disorder

Many individuals suffer from gallstones each year. They can obstruct the flow of bile and become lodged in the ducts that carry bile from the liver to the small intestine. Ducts also carry bile out of the liver, and to and from the gallbladder. Bile can become trapped in these ducts (hepatic ducts, cystic duct, and the pancreatic duct). The pancreatic duct carries digestive enzymes out of the pancreas. The gallbladder and the pancreas are important parts of the digestive system.

The pancreas produces insulin and helps to regulate the amount of sugar (glucose) in our bloodstream. Individuals who have pancreas that do not produce enough insulin or whose bodies do not produce enough insulin can develop another disease called: diabetes. The pancreas does not actually do the digestion of the foods that we eat, but it makes the enzymes that do the task of digesting the food.

The gallbladder is underneath the liver and stores and secretes the digestive fluids that are used by the body to break down the fats we consume. When our body has an imbalance (chemical) in bile, gallstones form. It is thought that a fatty diet can exacerbate this problem. As many as 20 million Americans have been estimated to have gallstone issues. 750,000 of those having gallstone issues have their gallbladders removed because of the problems associated with gallstones.

One of the issues is gallstone pancreatitis. Gallstone pancreatitis. Sometimes the bile becomes concentrated and tick, which will when combined with bile salts from stones. The stones are composed of crystallized cholesterol deposits or calcium crystals that have been ionized with bilirubin. The stones block the flow of bile within the ducts that lead to and from the gallbladder. When these migrating gallstones obstruct the ampulla of Vater (union of the pancreatic duct and the common bile duct) located at the major duodenal papilla.

The individual with gallstone pancreatitis experiences epigastric abdominal pain that radiates from the back, nausea and vomiting (sometimes). A test called the "serum amylase" or "lipase level" will show that the lipase level is 3 to 5 times higher than the normal level. Serum amylase and lipase levels are not the only tests done to diagnose the disease. C-reactive protein, leukocyte elastase, trypsinogen-activating peptides and lactate dehydrogenases are other words your doctor may use to describe what he/she is looking for when making the diagnosis.

The typical individual with this disease is male and between the ages of 30 and 45. The cause of gallstone pancreatitis is up for debate. One theory is that is has to do with bile reflux into the pancreas and the other with an incompetent sphincter of Oddi associated with duodenal contents passing into the pancreatic duct. Infected bile is the concern; just how it happens is the debate. Some physicians believe that certain foods may contribute to gallbladder attacks such as food allergies.

Two procedures are standard methods of treating gallstone pancreatitis: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and laparoscopic cholecystectomy. These procedures are only done if the gallstones are symptomatic (based on pain signals). Individuals with severe acute pancreatitis are given prophylactic antibiotic therapy (Imipenem is the drug of choice). Individuals have also been using natural remedies with some success including extra doses of vitamin C to help the body digest dietary fat and to help lower the risk of future gallstones and also lipotropic factor combination which is choline, methionine, folic acid and vitamin B12, cholagogues and choleretics which include milk thistle and dandelion, and lecithin, psyllium, and peppermint oil.

Doctors also recommend reducing the risk for future gallstones by including high-fiber and low-fat, low-sugar and a diet that is rich in omega-3 oil such as that from fish as a part of the daily diet and also by drinking plenty of water everyday and by maintaining a proper physical level of activity each day.