Causes of cholelithiasis

The gallbladder stores bile, a fluid that helps digest fat. Stones can form when bile contains too much cholesterol or bilirubin, too few substances to keep those materials dissolved, or when the gallbladder does not empty effectively. Some stones remain silent; others move into a bile duct and cause blockage.

Risk can be influenced by body weight, rapid weight change, age, family history, pregnancy, and conditions affecting red blood cells or bile flow. These factors do not prove that a person has stones. Gallstones are the condition itself, while abdominal pain, indigestion, nausea, and vomiting are possible presentations.

Arrange a GP consultation for recurring pain under the right ribs or in the upper abdomen, especially after meals, or for repeated nausea and vomiting. The clinician may examine you and arrange blood tests or imaging to look for stones, inflammation, or another explanation.

Avoid foods that clearly trigger symptoms while waiting for assessment, but do not make extreme dietary changes without advice. If a stone is found but causes no symptoms, monitoring may be suitable; painful or complicated disease may need a treatment plan.

Seek urgent medical care for severe or persistent abdominal pain, fever, yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, pale stools, repeated vomiting, or pain spreading to the back. These signs can indicate an obstructed or inflamed bile duct, gallbladder, or pancreas.

Ask whether your symptoms suggest gallstones, which test is appropriate, whether a stone is blocking a duct, what foods or medicines to avoid, and which changes require urgent review.