cholecystitis

Imagine your gallbladder as a little pouch that stores bile—a digestive fluid. Cholecystitis happens when this pouch becomes inflamed, usually because a gallstone blocks its outlet and bile can’t drain normally. It's like a traffic jam inside your body. This can cause sharp pain in the upper right abdomen, often after meals (especially fatty foods). Think of it as a grumpy gallbladder throwing a tantrum. If left untreated, it can become serious and may require surgery to remove the gallbladder.

Cholecystitis (pronounced koh-lee-sis-TIE-tis) is inflammation of the gallbladder—a small, pear-shaped organ under your liver that stores bile and helps with digestion. It is most often caused by gallstones: hard deposits that can lodge in the cystic duct (the gallbladder’s outlet), trapping bile and irritating the gallbladder wall. Think of it like pebbles clogging a drainpipe.

Milder gallstone pain (often called biliary colic) can come and go, but true cholecystitis tends to worsen and often needs medical attention. Symptoms typically include sudden or steadily intensifying pain in the upper right abdomen that may radiate to your back or right shoulder. The pain often follows meals, especially rich or greasy foods. Other symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills. Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes) is less common and may suggest a stone is also blocking a larger bile duct.

There are different patterns of the condition. Acute cholecystitis is a sudden episode, often from a stone blocking the cystic duct. Chronic cholecystitis is longer-term inflammation, usually related to repeated episodes over time. Less commonly, cholecystitis can happen without gallstones (acalculous cholecystitis), especially in people who are seriously ill, fasting for long periods, or recovering from major surgery or trauma.

Acute cases often require hospitalization for pain control, intravenous fluids, and sometimes antibiotics. In many cases, doctors recommend a cholecystectomy, which is the surgical removal of the gallbladder.

The word itself comes from Greek roots: chole- meaning bile, -cyst- meaning a sac or bladder, and -itis indicating inflammation. So, literally, it means "inflammation of the bile sac."

If you experience persistent or severe abdominal pain—especially with fever or vomiting—it is important to seek medical care. Ignoring the symptoms can lead to dangerous complications, such as tissue damage, a gallbladder perforation, or a serious infection.