What symptoms do gallstones cause?
About 7 out of 10 people with gallstones have no symptoms. When symptoms occur, the most common is episodes of moderate or severe pain in the upper abdomen or in the back. This is usually due to small gallstones which move into and block the cystic duct. This may result in an infection in the gallbladder, a condition called cholecystitis. In general, symptoms such as indigestion, fullness and nausea are not due to gallstones. When gallbladder stones move into the bile duct, they may cause episodes of pain or they may partly block the bile duct causing jaundice (yellow eyes and skin) or bile duct infections. Occasionally stones at the lower end of the bile duct can cause inflammation of the pancreas gland, a condition called pancreatitis. Are gallstones serious? Most people with gallstones never have a serious complication. However, if stones are untreated for many years, about 1 in 10 will develop jaundice, pancreatitis or infections in the gallbladder or bile duct. These complications
