What is gallbladder pain?

Gallbladder pain is (often misspelled "gall bladder") an all-inclusive term used to describe any
pain due to disease related to the gallbladder. The major gallbladder problems that produce
gallbladder pain are biliary colic, cholecystitis, gallstones, pancreatitis, and ascending cholangitis.
Symptoms vary and may be triggered by eating certain foods. The pain may be described as
intermittent, constant, abdominal, radiating to the back, mild to severe depending on the
underlying cause.

A brief review of the gallbladder anatomy and function may help readers better understand
gallbladder pain. The gallbladder is connected to the liver via ducts that supply bile to the
gallbladder for storage. These bile ducts then form the common hepatic duct that joins with the
cystic duct from the gallbladder to form the common bile duct that empties into the GI tract
(duodenum). In addition, the pancreatic duct usually merges with the common bile duct just
before it enters the duodenum. Hormones trigger the gallbladder to release bile when fat and
amino acids reach the duodenum after eating a meal (see illustration below), which facilitates
the digestion of these foods. Statistics suggest that women may have up to twice the incidence
of gallstones than men