Is acute cholecystitis a serious problem?

Although acute cholecystitis is a common disease, its harm is also relatively large. Therefore, treatment of acute cholecystitis must be carried out actively. In terms of diet, avoid eating greasy, spicy and irritating foods, and pay attention to rest.

1. Cholecystitis is a common disease. In my country, according to literature reports, it ranks second among acute abdominal surgical diseases, second only to acute appendicitis, and is more common than acute intestinal obstruction and ulcer perforation. In the past decade or so, with the popularization and widespread application of B-ultrasound, a powerful non-invasive examination tool has been provided for the detection and diagnosis of cholecystitis and biliary tract diseases, which has significantly improved the detection rate and accuracy of biliary tract diseases. The onset of acute cholecystitis is due to stones blocking the cystic duct, causing bile retention in the gallbladder and secondary bacterial infection causing acute inflammation.

2. In acute non-calculous cholecystitis, the cystic duct is often not obstructed. In most patients, the cause of the disease is unclear. It often occurs after trauma or some abdominal surgery unrelated to the biliary system. Acute cholecystitis is a common disease that is an acute chemical and/or bacterial inflammation of the gallbladder. About 95% of patients have gallstones, which is called calculous cholecystitis; 5% of patients do not have gallstones, which is called acalculous cholecystitis.

3. The onset of acute cholecystitis is often related to overeating, eating greasy food, fatigue and mental factors. It often occurs suddenly, with right upper abdominal colic at the beginning, which worsens in paroxysmal ways and radiates to the right shoulder or chest and back, accompanied by nausea and vomiting. There may be no chills or fever in the early stages of the disease, but chills and fever may occur when there is a purulent infection in the gallbladder. Some patients may also experience yellowing of the sclera of both eyes. When the inflammation spreads to the area around the gallbladder, the condition becomes increasingly serious, the abdominal pain becomes more severe, and the area becomes wider than before. At this time, the upper right abdomen cannot be touched, and even a little pressure will cause unbearable pain.

4. Sometimes deep breathing, turning over or coughing can aggravate the pain, causing the patient to lie still and dare not move. About 1/3-1/2 of patients can feel a slightly raised, egg-sized swollen bile duct in the right upper abdomen, and the pain worsens when pressed. For most patients, the above symptoms can be gradually relieved after active and effective treatment, but a small number of patients, especially elderly patients with arteriosclerosis, may develop gallbladder gangrene and perforation. At this time, the patient has severe abdominal pain, the disease progresses rapidly, and symptoms such as dehydration, shock and peritonitis appear, which can be life-threatening in severe cases.