Gallbladder stones are small, pebble-like substances made out of hardened bile. Gall stones occur when the usually liquid bile produced by the liver becomes sticky and sluggish, an occurrence termed as biliary sludge. This change in bile consistency can be due to the accumulation of fat-soluble toxins in bile or of metabolic deficiencies of the amino acids found in bile namely Glycine and Taurine and the phospholipid Phosphatidyl choline.
When there is billiary sludge, it becomes difficult for bile to pass through the billiard ducts. Not only does this result to a shortage of bile that is needed for digestion it also causes stagnation of bile in gallbladder. The latter problem eventually leads to the formation of gall stones. Gall stones can block the ducts where bile passes through, again depriving the intestines of the amount it needs to effectively digest food. If they get big enough, gall stones can also inflame the liver, the gall bladder or its ducts and cause great amounts of pain. |