The gallbladder is a little sac that stores bile from the liver, and it's found just beneath your liver.
The gallbladder releases bile, via the cystic duct, into the small intestine to help break down the foods you eat — particularly fatty foods.
Typically the gallbladder doesn't cause too many problems or much concern, but if something slows or blocks the flow of bile from the gallbladder, a number of problems can result.
What Can Go Wrong
Some common gallbladder problems include:
Gallstones (cholelithiasis): This is the name of the condition when small stones, or sometimes larger ones, develop inside the gallbladder.
Gallstones may cause pain known as biliary colic (see below), but about 90 percent of people with gallstones will have no symptoms.
Most symptomatic gallstones have been present for a number of years.
For unknown reasons, if you have gallstones for more than 10 years, they are less likely to cause symptoms.
Biliary colic: This is the term often used for the severe episodes of pain that can be caused by gallstone blockage of the cystic duct.
The gallbladder contracts vigorously against the blockage, causing spasmodic (or sometimes constant) severe pain.
Biliary colic episodes usually last only an hour or two. They may recur infrequently, often years apart.
Inflamed gallbladder (cholecystitis): Inflammation of the gallbladder can be caused by gallstones, excessive alcohol use, infections, or even tumors that cause bile buildup.
But the most common cause of cholecystitis is gallstones.