What Causes Gallbladder Issues?
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What Causes Gallbladder Issues? 7 Causes and Risk Factors

Certain factors — such as age, sex, and diet — can raise your risk of gallbladder issues, including gallstones.
What Causes Gallbladder Issues? 7 Causes and Risk Factors
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Published on October 24, 2024
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You might not think about your gallbladder often. But if something goes wrong with this small organ, symptoms such as intense pain will likely catch your attention.

Symptoms of gallbladder issues can vary from person to person, but they may include:

  • Pain in the upper right or center of your belly
  • Pain between your shoulder blades
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Pain in the right shoulder

There are many possible causes of gallbladder issues. Here’s what to know about the different types of gallbladder problems and the risk factors for them.

Types of Gallbladder Issues

Gallbladder disease is an umbrella term that describes any condition that affects the gallbladder, an organ that stores and concentrates bile (a fluid that the liver makes to help the body digest fat).

 About 25 million people in the United States have gallbladder problems.

Some examples of gallbladder disease include:

  • Gallstones These are the most common cause of gallbladder problems, but they don’t always cause issues. “Many people are told they have gallstones, and they get worried, but the vast majority have benign disease and don’t need surgery,” says Damien J. Lazar, MD, MBA, assistant professor of surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. Gallstones are made of hardened deposits of substances in bile (typically cholesterol) that accumulate in your gallbladder.
  • Cholecystitis (Inflammation) This is a symptom of gallbladder disease that often happens when gallstones block the tube that leads out of the gallbladder. Inflammation of the gallbladder can be a sign of an infection, a blockage, an obstruction, or, in rare cases, cancer.
  • Gangrene Gangrene is a severe potential complication of cholecystitis. Severe swelling in the gallbladder can lead to tissue death. The dead tissue can burst or tear, which can be fatal.
  • Gallbladder Cancer Cancer that starts in the gallbladder or bile ducts is rare, says Dr. Lazar. People often don’t experience any signs of symptoms in the early stages of gallbladder cancer, but it can cause symptoms in the later stages of the disease, such as jaundice, pain above your stomach, or lumps in your abdominal area.

  • Biliary Dyskinesia With this condition, the gallbladder doesn’t move bile out into the bile ducts the way it should.

  • Gallbladder Polyps Gallbladder polyps are abnormal growths that stick out from the inside lining of the gallbladder. Most gallbladder polyps (95 percent) are benign, but some (5 percent) are cancerous.

7 Causes of Gallbladder Issues

While anyone can develop gallbladder disease, there are some factors that can increase your chances of having gallbladder issues. Here are seven possible risk factors for gallbladder problems.

1. Being Female

Women are more than twice as likely as men to have gallstones, Lazar says. Research suggests that pregnant women and those who take hormone replacement therapy have an even higher risk, due to the elevated levels of estrogen. “That’s because those hormones can trigger cholecystitis, which causes the gallbladder to be less active and contributes to the formation of gallstones,” says Lazar.

2. Older Age

Gallbladder problems are more common in people older than 60. More than half of individuals over age 70 develop gallstone disease, according to one study. What’s more, elderly patients are more likely to develop complications due to gallbladder issues.

Experts believe that the higher prevalence of gallbladder disease in the older population could be because they’ve had more time for bile to build up in the body.

3. Lifestyle Habits

Some lifestyle habits can lead to problems with your gallbladder. “Generally, a high-cholesterol, high-fat, and low-fiber diet can contribute to your risk for gallstones,” says Lazar.

Some research suggests that consuming too much of the type of iron found in meat and seafood (known as heme iron) may trigger gallstones in men.

A sedentary lifestyle has also been known to increase the risk of gallbladder problems.

“Healthy choices of food and consistent exercise, with maintenance of a healthy weight, is the best approach to maximize the health of our gallbladder,” says Kambiz Kosari, MD, a transplant surgeon at the Comprehensive Transplant Center at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.

4. Obesity

Being overweight or having obesity is another risk factor for developing gallbladder problems. When you carry excess weight, your liver makes too much cholesterol, which gets into the bile. This extra cholesterol can block your bile ducts or prevent your gallbladder from working properly.

Although weight and diet are contributors to high cholesterol, some people are naturally more prone to it, notes Lazar. That includes non-Hispanic white people, people ages 40 to 59, and people who smoke, among others.

Research suggests that as the prevalence of obesity continues to increase, so will the risk of gallbladder disease.

5. Your Genes

Gallstones can be influenced by genetic factors, according to Dr. Kosari. “They can run in families,” he says.

Experts believe that about one-quarter of gallbladder disease cases may be hereditary. They’ve identified at least 12 different genes that could increase a person’s risk.

But gallbladder disease is a complex condition. Most scientists think that both genes and environmental factors (such as weight and diet, for instance) play a role.

6. Other Medical Conditions

If you have certain co-occurring medical issues, you may be more likely to have gallbladder problems. Some health conditions that increase your risk include:

7. Certain Medications

Some medicines that can make gallbladder issues more likely are:

  • Drugs that contain estrogen, such as oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy
  • Fibrates, which are medicines that lower triglyceride levels
  • Octreotide (Sandostatin), which is used to treat acromegaly (a rare hormonal disorder), as well as diarrhea and flushing in people with cancer
  • The antibiotic ceftriaxone
  • Thiazide diuretics, which are used to treat high blood pressure

Other Causes and Risk Factors for Gallbladder Issues

There are several other risk factors for gallbladder issues, some of which include:

  • Being of Native American, Hispanic, or Mexican heritage
  • Being pregnant
  • Losing weight very quickly or weight cycling
  • Having an organ transplant
  • Undergoing bariatric surgery
  • Having a spinal cord injury
  • Being on a feeding tube for a long time

The Takeaway

  • Gallbladder issues can be caused by factors such as sex, age, lifestyle habits, genetics, and certain medications, among others.
  • Maintaining a healthy weight and staying active can support long-term gallbladder health.
  • Reach out to your doctor if you have any symptoms of potential gallbladder problems, such as nausea, vomiting, or pain in the upper right or center of your belly, between your shoulder blades, or in your right shoulder.

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