Symptoms of Gallstones and Bile Duct Stones

Gallstones can be miniscule in size or as large as a ping-pong ball. You may have one stone or develop many of them. Not all gallstones or bile stones cause symptoms. Some are discovered incidentally during imaging studies for other reasons.

The most common symptom is upper abdominal pain on the right side of the body, where the liver and gallbladder are situated. The pain may start suddenly and be intense. Or it may be a slow, dull pain or occur intermittently. The pain may shift from the abdominal area to the upper back or shoulder.

Prolonged blockage of a bile duct can cause a buildup of waste products in the biliary tract and in the bloodstream, leading to an infection called cholangitis. It also can prevent the release of bile into the small intestine to help digest food or cause a serious bacterial infection in the liver called ascending cholangitis.

A blocked bile duct may result in inflammation of the gallbladder, called cholecystitis. A gallstone or bile stone in the common bile duct may block the pancreatic duct, causing painful inflammation of the pancreas or pancreatitis.  

If a stone completely blocks the ducts of the gallbladder, liver, common bile duct or pancreas, other symptoms may include:

• Nausea
• Fever
• Chills
• Yellow skin or eyes (from the build up of bilirubin, a waste product in blood)
• Dark urine
• Itching
• Fatigue
• Weight loss
• Night sweats
• Loss of appetite
• Greasy or light-colored stools

Patients who develop gallstones are at a slightly increased risk of developing gallbladder cancer, called cholangiocarcinoma. However, this is a rare disease and most people with gallstones do not go on to develop cancer.