What is cholecystitis
Cholecystitis is the inflammation or bacterial infection of the gallbladder . In 90-95% of cases, cholecystitis is secondary to obstruction of the cystic duct by one or more stones. However, there is also a much rarer form of cholecystitis without lithiasis, that is, without stones, which occurs mainly in people who are debilitated due to other diseases.
Cholecystitis manifests with intense abdominal pains, located mainly in the subhepatic region, which prevent deep inspiration and increase with palpation. Other very common symptoms are nausea, vomiting and fever. Being an infectious disorder, the blood test shows an increase in white blood cells. Sometimes, more or less in 20% of cases, jaundice is present.
If you suspect a cholecystitis, the doctor will prescribe an ultrasound, which will confirm the diagnosis. Ultrasonography has a sensitivity of 80% for the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. It may therefore be necessary to carry out a diagnostic examination by means of colangiorisonance or hepatobiliary scintigraphy; the latter examination, however, cannot be carried out in the presence of jaundice.
Therapy is often surgical. The intervention, based on the severity of the cholecystitis, can represent an emergency, a relative urgency or can be postponed and, in the meantime, some measures can be attempted in order to "cool" the acute inflammatory process. Such measures include antibiotic therapy, hydrosaline infusion to rebalance the liquids, administration of analgesics.
In the case of acute cholecystitis the diet is fasting, with enteral or parenteral nutrition. In fact, the gallbladder must be set aside. However, there is a diet that helps prevent cholecystitis or recover faster after having passed the acute phase of this disease.
The diet against cholecystitis
The cholecystitis diet is primarily poor in animal fats . Excessive intake of these foods is one of the factors that most predispose to the appearance of gallbladder stones and organ inflammation. In fact, fatty foods require an enormous effort on the part of the gallbladder which, in the long run, may be affected.
Even the excessive consumption of carbohydrates predisposes to cholecystitis, especially to the extent that it determines an increase in body weight. It is in fact very important to keep the weight in the norm; Overweight and obesity are factors that increase the risk of cholecystitis.
In addition, all irritants such as alcohol, spices, fizzy drinks and chocolate should be avoided.
A vegetarian diet or, in any case, mainly based on plant foods, helps the gallbladder to keep fit; however, there are some types of vegetables that should be consumed in moderation if you are predisposed to suffer from cholecystitis, in particular all types of cabbage .
In summary, however, a correct and balanced diet, along with a healthy lifestyle and constant exercise, help prevent cholecystitis as well as most diseases.
