Biology

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These symptoms are consistent with a gallbladder attack, or cholecystitis. Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder (McCance & Huether, 2014). The common cause of cholecystitis is obstruction... by gallstones (cholelithiasis). Patients can go years without concern because cholelithiasis often does not present with symptoms. A patient may have gallstones, but it is when they cause an obstruction and inflammation that the symptoms occur. Gallstones are small, hard structures formed by the presence of biliary sludge, composed of calcium deposits, cholesterol crystals, and glycoproteins (Afamefuna & Allen, 2013). Altered hepatic cholesterol metabolism causes hypersecretion, causing cholesterol concentration greater than solubility. Gallstones can also be caused by loss of muscular wall motility, leading to bile stasis and gallstone formation. Cholecystitis is commonly a result of obstruction from gallstones, but gallstones are not always present. It can also be caused by microorganisms. Cholecystitis can be acute or chronic. Repeated inflammation of the gallbladder can lead to chronic cholecystitis (Afamefuna & Allen, 2013). Failure to treat cholecystitis can lead to sepsis or perforation, which can be life threatening (Afamefuna & Allen, 2013). Symptoms of cholecystitis include pain in the right upper quadrant, radiating to the back or right shoulder, nausea, abdominal discomfort, jaundice, intolerance to fatty foods, and flatulence (McCance & Huether, 2014). Patients with cholecystitis may only experience a few of these symptoms depending where the gallstone is obstructing. Diagnostic imaging is used to diagnose cholelithiasis, such as CT scan or ultrasound. Also, bloodwork can be taken to look at the white blood count, enzymes, and bilirubin (Rodriguez, 2016). Treatment recommended is a laparoscopic cholecystectomy (McCance & Huether, 2014). It is a minimally invasive, laparoscopic procedure that is done to remove the gallbladde [Show More]

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