Common digestive problems

Gallstones

The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ located beneath the liver. Its main function is to aid in the digestion of fats by storing and releasing bile, a brownish liquid that helps break down fats and also gives stool its color.

While the exact cause of gallstones is not fully understood, they are believed to result from an imbalance in the chemical makeup of bile within the gallbladder. Gallstones may form when there are unusually high levels of:

Cholesterol: About 80% of gallstones are made up of cholesterol.

Bilirubin: A waste product from red blood cells; about 20% of gallstones consist of bilirubin.

These imbalances cause tiny crystals to form in the bile, which can slowly grow over the years into solid stones. The size of these stones can range from as small as a grain of sand to as large as a pebble. Gallstones can cause severe abdominal pain and discomfort.

Sometimes only a single stone forms, but multiple stones are often present at once. Gallstones are more common in women, people who are overweight, and individuals over 40. They also occur more frequently in people with conditions like cirrhosis of the liver, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or those taking certain antibiotics like ceftriaxone.

If a gallstone blocks a bile duct, it can lead to serious health issues, such as a buildup of bile that can infect and inflame the gallbladder.

Source: www.nhs.uk

Coeliac Disease

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition, which means the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues. A well-known example of an autoimmune disease is rheumatoid arthritis.

People with coeliac disease experience an immune reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. This reaction damages the lining of the small intestine. The villi, which are tiny, finger-like projections in the small intestine that help absorb nutrients, become flattened and inflamed, reducing the body's ability to absorb nutrients from food. Over time, untreated coeliac disease can lead to "villous atrophy," where the villi disappear entirely, causing malabsorption of nutrients.

Coeliac disease is more common in individuals with other autoimmune conditions, such as Type 1 diabetes or autoimmune thyroid disease. Having one autoimmune disease increases the risk of developing another.

Source: www.coeliac.org.uk

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