Who is at risk for gallstones?

  Most people are not unfamiliar with stones; however, much less attention has been paid to gallstones. In recent years, the incidence of gallstones has increased significantly to about 10% due to the change of poor dietary structure and lifestyle habits, and there is a trend of low age.  Gallstones can be divided into gallbladder stones, common bile duct stones and intrahepatic bile duct stones according to the location of occurrence. Other statistics show that women are much more likely to develop gallstones than men. This is because sex hormones in women affect the chemical composition of bile and the contraction of the gallbladder, which in turn promotes the formation of stones.  According to the causes of gallstones, there are seven kinds of bad habits that people are more likely to suffer from gallstones and need special attention.  1. People who are sedentary after meals. If you do not like to exercise and reduce physical activity, the contraction force of the gallbladder muscle will decrease and bile evacuation will be delayed, which will easily cause bile accumulation and create conditions for the formation of gallstones. In particular, some people like to sit on the sofa after meals to watch TV or play computer, but also while watching a variety of snacks, which is one of the important causes of gallstones.  2, people with obese body type. Love to eat high-fat, high-sugar food is a direct consequence of fat, and obesity is an important factor in the formation of gallstones. People who weigh more than 15% of the normal standard, the incidence of gallstones is 5 times higher than the average person, the incidence of gallstones in obese women aged 20 to 30 is 6 times higher than their normal weight counterparts, and 40% of obese women over 60 years old have gallbladder disease and gallstones.  3, those who do not like to eat breakfast. Usually, after three meals a day, the gallbladder will discharge bile regularly. If you do not eat breakfast, the gallbladder will not have to discharge bile in the morning. Often, this will reduce the content of bile acid, bile concentration, increasing the possibility of stone formation.  4, the diet of meat and sweet people. This type of people usually consume more fat and cholesterol in general, which makes it easy to form cholesterol stones. Too much sweet food will promote insulin secretion and accelerate the deposition of cholesterol.  5. Women with multiple pregnancies. Women account for 70% of gallstones patients, and the more pregnancies they have, the higher the incidence. The reason is that the high level of estrogen in women’s body will affect the formation of glucuronide bilirubin in the liver and increase the non-conjugated bilirubin; estrogen also affects the emptying of the gallbladder, causing bile stagnation and easy formation of stones.  6, long-term oral contraceptive pill users. These people are two times more likely to suffer from gallstones than others, and women who are treated with estrogenic drugs after menopause also have significantly more cases of gallstones, which may be related to the role of sex hormones.  7. Those with a family history of the disease. People with this genetic predisposition are more likely to suffer from gallstones than the general population.  Acute attacks of gallstones can cause biliary colic, severe pain in the upper middle or right abdomen, restlessness, profuse sweating, pallor, nausea and vomiting, and even jaundice and high fever; however, there are also “painless gallstones” with atypical symptoms and no pain. As a common disease, gallstones are often neglected, which may lead to gallbladder cancer if not treated in time, and gallbladder cancer has no obvious symptoms in early stage, so treatment is easily delayed.