Inflammation and infection of the bile can interfere with the body's organs running normally, especially in the process of digestion of fat. In the gallbladder there is a bile which consists of cholesterol (mostly), bile acids or salts, bilirubin or red blood cells, water, body salt, copper, and other metals.
This bile that is made and released by the liver functions to help digestion by breaking down fat into fatty acids. However, there are times when these organs which are located close to the liver cannot work properly due to inflammation or bile infection.
Causes of inflammation and bile infection
This disease, also known as cholecystitis, usually occurs when the bile that goes to the small intestine is blocked by gallstones. As a result, bile is retained in the gallbladder, causing swelling, pain, and the possibility of bile infection.
In addition to gallstones, inflammation and bile infections can also be caused by tumors in the pancreas or liver, reduced blood flow to the gallbladder, bacterial infections that attack the bile duct system, deposits in the gallbladder, and due to the appearance of scar tissue.
Although rare, bile infection can also occur as a complication of a severe illness. For example, diabetes or HIV. If inflammation and bile infection have been going on for a long time, the walls of the swollen gallbladder will become hard and thick.
Symptoms of inflammation and bile infection
Inflammation or infection of the bile can be identified from various symptoms, such as:
- Main symptoms: Severe pain in the upper right abdomen (under the rib cage). This pain can spread to the back or right shoulder and tends to last for several hours, even more than six hours. The pain also tends to occur after eating and becomes worse if you take a deep breath.
- Stomach aches when touched.
- Fever.
- Nausea.
- Throw up.
- Bloated.
If there are symptoms above, you should immediately consult a doctor to get an examination and proper treatment.
Treat inflammation and bile infections
Treatment of inflammation and bile infection is adjusted to the symptoms of the disease suffered and the patient's health condition. Often this condition needs treatment in the hospital.
- If it is mild, treatment for inflammation or infection of the bile is done by fasting, giving intravenous fluids and injecting antibiotics through blood vessels, taking medication, and drinking lots of water so that the inflammation subsides.
- For severe conditions, patients must be taken and treated in a hospital. Treatment includes cholecystectomy to remove a gallbladder. Often this operation can be done by making a small incision in the abdomen to insert a special instrument (laparoscopic surgery) or it can also be a conventional operation with a larger incision. However, if a bile infection is caused by a gallstone attached to the bile duct, treatment may involve an endoscopic procedure to remove stones in the bile duct first. After endoscopy is done, then the gallbladder surgery is done. Usually surgery can wait several days to several weeks for inflammation in the bile to subside.
After the bile is removed, you can still eat as usual. But sometimes you will be advised by your doctor to adopt a low-fat diet. In addition, after the surgical removal of bile, can also occur several conditions such as frequent bloating, abdominal pain, to become more frequent bowel movements.
So that inflammation or bile infection does not occur, let's apply a healthy lifestyle from now on. The trick is to consume healthy foods rich in fiber such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and maintain an ideal body weight. If you are overweight, reduce it slowly.
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