Gallstones are a common disease, with a higher incidence in young and middle-aged women, two to four times higher than in men, which is related to the change in the nature of work and the improvement of living standards, and gallstone disease induced by poor living and eating habits is very common in clinical practice. This is related to the change of work nature and the improvement of living standard.
I. Etiology of gallstones
Gallstones are identified by three factors: bile accumulation, biliary tract infection, and cholesterol metabolism disorder.
The formation of gallstones is closely related to personal habits, especially going to bed too early after dinner, or inactivity at night after consuming high-fat meals, leading to accumulation of food in the stomach and duodenum before going to bed, which is the most important cause of gallstones formation. For example, after dinner lying down to watch TV, read newspapers, sleep after dinner, night intake of high-fat meals and other undesirable factors make the digestion and emptying of food in the stomach slow, food on the stomach and duodenal mucosal nerve continuous stimulation, reflexively cause the liver to secrete a lot of bile discharge to the duodenum, at this time due to the position in the supine and semi-recumbent position, bile drainage will not be smooth, it will be in the bile ducts, concentrated, gallstones will The formation of gallstones.
Second, the formation of gallstones causes
In addition to the above-mentioned causes of gallstones, there are also the following artificially induced bad habits of gallstones.
Many women, especially middle-aged women, tend to spend more time at home and less time for exercise and physical labor. The contraction force of the gallbladder muscle is bound to decrease over time, which will delay the emptying of bile and cause the accumulation of bile and the precipitation of cholesterol crystals, creating conditions for the formation of gallstones.
2, physical obesity: women generally love to eat high fat, high sugar, high cholesterol drinks or snacks, the direct consequence of this hobby is to gain weight, and obesity is an important basis for the development of gallstones. Studies have shown that people who weigh more than 15% of the normal standard, the incidence of gallstones is five times higher than normal.
3, diet westernization: the gallbladder has a very important physiological function in the human body, it concentrates, stores and excretes bile through absorption, secretion and other forms of movement. Studies have found that people who consume too much animal protein, animal fat and refined carbohydrates have a high incidence of cholesterol stones; low protein, vegetable fiber-based people are prone to bile pigment stones.
4, do not eat breakfast: the proportion of modern women who do not eat breakfast is high, and long-term skipping breakfast will increase the concentration of bile, which is conducive to bacterial reproduction and easy to promote the formation of gallstones. If you insist on eating breakfast, you can promote part of the bile flow, reduce the viscosity of the bile stored overnight, reducing the risk of gallstones.
5, long-term vegetarians: Insufficient intake of lecithin and bile salts, resulting in an imbalance in the ratio, resulting in the formation of stones.
6.Multiple pregnancies: During pregnancy, the biliary function of women is easily disturbed, resulting in weak contraction of smooth muscles and retention of bile in the gallbladder, which, together with the relatively high cholesterol in the blood during pregnancy, can easily lead to precipitation and greatly increase the chances of forming gallstones. Especially the incidence is higher in women with multiple births.
7, genetic: the occurrence of cholelithiasis is also related to genetic and other factors.
Third, the harm of gallstone disease
Gallbladder stones may cause bile duct obstruction, bile stasis, gallbladder enlargement, biliary colic and acute cholecystitis, and even gallbladder perforation. At this time, if no surgery is performed, it can be life-threatening. Under the long-term chronic stimulation, gallbladder stones may induce gallbladder cancer.
Typical symptoms of gallstone disease
Most patients only feel vague pain in the upper abdomen or right upper abdomen when they over-eat, eat high-fat food, work under stress or have poor rest, or have fullness, belching, erratic, etc., which are easily misdiagnosed as “stomach disease”. In severe cases, biliary colic may occur, with pain located in the right upper abdomen or epigastrium, paroxysmal, or continuous pain that increases paroxysmally, radiating to the right scapula and back, accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Some patients are unable to name the exact site of pain because of the severity of the pain. After the first appearance of biliary colic, about 70% of patients will recur within a year.
V. Prevention of gallstones
1, pay attention to dietary regulation, dietary diversity. Cold, greasy, high-protein, stimulating food and strong alcohol are easy to help moisture and heat, making bile accumulation, so you should eat less. Vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin A and vitamin C, fish and seafood can help clear the bile and dissolve stones, so you can eat more. Avoid eating high fat in the evening and follow the healthy eating principles, i.e. eat well for breakfast, eat a full lunch and eat less for dinner. Do proper exercise after 30 minutes of dinner to promote peristalsis of the gastrointestinal tract, reduce the accumulation of bile in the bile ducts, which is conducive to the digestion and absorption of food.
2, life should be regular, pay attention to the combination of work and rest, and often participate in physical activities to avoid gaining weight.
3, keep a relaxed mood, to avoid anger injury liver and gallbladder.