Cholecystitis

Cholecystitis is an inflammatory condition of the gallbladder caused by bacterial infection or chemical irritation (changes in bile composition), and is a common disease of the gallbladder. In abdominal surgery, its incidence is second only to appendicitis. This disease is most common in middle-aged people aged 35 to 55 years, with a higher incidence in women than in men, especially in obese women with multiple pregnancies. Cholecystitis is divided into acute and chronic types. The symptoms of acute cholecystitis mainly include right upper abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever. Acute cholecystitis causes right upper abdominal pain. Initially, the pain is very similar to biliary colic, but the abdominal pain caused by acute cholecystitis often lasts longer, and breathing and changing position often worsen the pain. Therefore, patients often prefer to lie still on the right side to reduce abdominal pain. Chronic cholecystitis is the most common type of gallbladder disease, manifested as recurrent abdominal distension of varying severity, discomfort or pain in the right upper abdomen and upper abdomen, often radiating to the right shoulder and back, accompanied by dyspeptic symptoms such as belching and acid regurgitation, with symptoms aggravated by greasy food. Patients usually also have gallstones, but chronic cholecystitis without stones is not uncommon in China. Chronic cholecystitis can sometimes be a sequela of acute cholecystitis, but most patients have not previously had acute cholecystitis. Due to long-term inflammation of the gallbladder, the gallbladder wall undergoes fibrous thickening and scar contraction, causing gallbladder atrophy, and the lumen may completely close, leading to decreased gallbladder function or even complete loss of function.