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Copyright 1989, 1997, 1998
Synonyms of Cholecystitis
Disorder Subdivisions
- Acalculous Cholecystitis
- Gallstone Cholecystitis
General Discussion
Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder, the pear-shaped muscular sac that lies below the liver. The gallbladder’s main function is to store and concentrate bile and to expel the bile through the bile duct during the digestion of fats. (Bile is a greenish-brown liquid produced by the liver that breaks down fats present in the small intestine during digestion.) Cholecystitis may come on suddenly (acute) or may persist over a period of time (chronic). Acute cholecystitis is usually caused by obstruction of the outlet of the gallbladder, which is often due to the development of a stone formed in the biliary tract (gallstone or biliary calculus). Repeated mild episodes of acute cholecystitis may result in chronic cholecystitis, which may be characterized by thickening and shrinking of the gallbladder walls and a resulting inability to store bile. Cholecystitis may cause a variety of symptoms including severe pain in the right side of the abdomen (right upper quadrant) and/or back, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, fever, and persistent yellowing of the skin, mucous membranes, and whites of the eyes (jaundice). In some cases, there may be additional symptoms.
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Organizations related to Cholecystitis
- CORE
3 St. Andrews Place
London None NW1 4LB
Phone #: 020- 74-86 0341
800 #: N/A
e-mail: info@corecharity.org.uk
Home page: http://www.corecharity.org.uk
- Digestive Disease National Coalition
507 Capitol Court, NE
Suite 200
Washington DC 20002
Phone #: 202-544-7497
800 #: --
e-mail: ddnc@hmcw.org
Home page: http://www.ddnc.org
- Genetic and Rare Diseases (GARD) Information Center
PO Box 8126
Gaithersburg MD 20898-8126
Phone #: 301-251-4925
800 #: 888-205-2311
e-mail: ordr@od.nih.gov
Home page: http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/Default.aspx
- NIH/National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse
2 Information Way
Bethesda MD 20892-3570
Phone #: 301-654-3810
800 #: 800-891-5389
e-mail: nddic@info.niddk.nih.gov
Home page: http://www.niddk.nih.gov
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