My City Wellness Winter 2022

My Wellness

GALLSTONES: Development, Symptoms & Treatment BY PETER HINTERMAN ONE of the most over- looked potential

health problems, gallstones are becoming more common in the United States as people become more sedentary and more apt to make unhealthy food choices. Currently, gall- stones affect 15% of the U.S. population or about 25 million people, with a quarter needing to undergo surgery to allevi- ate symptoms and pain. Cause and Risk Factors Gallstones are deposits of hard-

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ened digestive uid that can form in the gallbladder.

ey can range in size from a speck to a golf ball and over the course of time, can block the bile duct causing further complications.

O en, they can be present in the gallbladder without causing any complications at all.

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