What to do with gallstones in the elderly

Gallstones are a common symptom in the elderly, so special attention should be paid to treatment. First of all, prevention should be emphasized, and the intake of foods with high cholesterol should be avoided, such as fish balls, liver and kidneys, egg yolks, etc.

Primary prevention (cause prevention): taking various measures to control or eliminate health risk factors. The main cause of cholesterol stones is the precipitation of cholesterol due to oversaturation. Therefore, the elderly should eat less cholesterol-rich foods such as brain, liver, kidney, fish eggs, egg yolks, etc.; in addition, they should actively emphasize outdoor activities such as gymnastics, running, walking and other exercises to promote cholesterol metabolism in the body. In addition, we should actively prevent the formation of nucleation factors, pay attention to personal hygiene, prevent the occurrence of intestinal parasites and intestinal infections, and actively prevent bile tract infections.

Secondary prevention (clinical prevention): Early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment in the early stages of clinical disease, so that the disease can be cured early or not worsen. Cholelithiasis generally has a chronic development process. 60% to 80% of patients with gallstones are asymptomatic for a certain period of time. The speed of progression from asymptomatic to symptomatic stones varies greatly from place to place. In the first 5 years, about 2% of patients experience various symptoms each year. Therefore, for areas with high incidence of the disease and special populations such as the obese, women, the elderly, multiple pregnancies and those with a family history of genetic diseases, censuses, key screening or regular health checks should be conducted, and non-invasive and convenient examinations should be adopted for early detection and diagnosis. Active measures such as diet, lithotripsy and deworming, anti-inflammatory, and promotion of gallbladder contraction should be taken for early treatment.

Level 3 prevention (clinical prevention): Take timely and effective treatment measures for patients to prevent the deterioration of the disease, prevent complications, prevent and treat disability, promote recovery and prolong life. Different treatment measures should be taken according to the different conditions of the patients. When combined with acute biliary infection, broad-spectrum antibiotics with high concentrations in bile and sensitive to infection should be selected; fasting should be given when the pain is more obvious, and necessary analgesia and sedation measures should be given in addition to gastrointestinal decompression; surgical treatment and endoscopic lithotripsy can be performed when necessary to prevent worsening of the disease and the occurrence of life-threatening cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and other systemic complications.