Gallbladder polyps are masses of tissue that grow in various sizes on the inside wall of the gallbladder. They may be extremely small, although some of the larger ones grow to one centimeter in diameter or larger. They often protrude from the interior lining. Approximately one in twenty-five patients are found to have gallbladder polyps when they visit their doctor for gallbladder problems.
Doctors haven’t been able to determine why gallbladder polyps grow. But statistically, someone who has reached 50 years of age or already has gallstones is more likely to have gallbladder polyps.
Five different categories of gallbladder polyps have been categorized by the medical profession.
* Cholesterosis – Of the five gallbladder polyp types, this is the most common. It is partially formed by cholesterol.
* Adenocarcinoma – This type is actually a form of gallbladder cancer, and is therefore dangerous.
The other three types are known as hyperplastic, adenomyomatosis, and cholecystosis.
Most people who have this disorder don’t even know it because gallbladder polyp symptoms are rare. However, they may cause some degree of tenderness in the abdomen. This discomfort occurs in the upper right of the abdomen, and may be steady or intermittent. If discomfort is severe and constant, it is probably not a symptom of gallbladder polyps. The cause is more likely to be gallstones.
More often than not, polyps are discovered because your doctor is diagnosing other gallbladder problem symptoms. They can be seen in a simple ultrasound test.
When polyps are detected, follow up tests will be needed to determine if they’re malignant.
Gallbladder polyp management or treatment usually isn’t needed.
Gallbladder polyp surgery usually means removing the entire gallbladder, and is typically done only when the patient is experiencing a distressing level of pain. “Cholecystectomy” is the medical term for a gallbladder removal operation. A cholecystectomy is often the best way to prevent future gallbladder problems once they begin to appear. Your gallbladder is not a critical organ, so it can be removed without danger. The liver “takes over” many gallbladder functions once the gallbladder has been removed.
As was previously mentioned, the most common gallbladder polyp (known as cholesterosis) is a combination of cholesterol and tissue. To avoid gallbladder polyps (in fact to avoid most types of gallbladder problems), you should eat a low cholesterol diet that includes a lot of cholesterol free foods.
You can improve your chances of preventing gallbladder polyps and other gallbladder problems by following these additional guidelines:
* reduce your consumption of fried foods as much as possible and limit the amount of red meat in your diet
* be careful of salad dressings which contain a lot of unhealthy fats or sugars. Stick to olive oil and vinegar.
* stay away from high cholesterol, fatty foods and big meals just before bedtime
* if you wish to lose weight, do so at a moderate pace. Doing too much too fast can be harmful to your gallbladder and the rest of your digestive system.
To avoid making gallbladder trouble worse if you already have problems
* stay away from carbonated drinks
* use low fat dairy products when possible
* when shopping for meat, choose lean cuts and remove visible fat before cooking..
* ask your doctor about fish oil capsules. These contain omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce the amount of cholesterol formation in bile..
* find recipes that contain ginger and tumeric, which have been shown to be good for the gallbladder.
And naturally, a diet that’s good for your gallbladder will benefit your heart too, so make sure your meals include a lot of fruits, vegetables and grains.
To learn more about cancer and gallbladder polyps, click on gallbladder polyp dangers. Also click on gallbladder removal operation. Neal Kennedy is a former radio and TV journalist. To read more of his articles, click on Maintaining A Healthy Gallbladder.
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Image by NASA Goddard Photo and Video
NASA image acquired August 10, 2012
Off the coast of Queensland, in north-eastern Australia, lies the Coral Sea, a beautiful blue bit of ocean that covers the world’s largest coral reef system, the Great Barrier Reef. From space, the Great Barrier Reef looks like a string of gem-toned jewels lying roughly parallel to the Australian coastline. In fact, the Reef is made up of over 2,900 individual reefs and about 900 islands.
Created by coral polyps, the Reef not only originated from living organisms, it also serves as home for a huge diversity of life. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which adopted the Great Barrier Reef as a World Heritage Site in 1981, it contains not only the world’s largest collection of coral reefs, with 400 types of coral, but the Reef also supports 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusk. It also is an important habitat of species such as the dugong (‘sea cow’) and the large green turtle, which are threatened with extinction.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite captured this beautiful true-color image on August 10, 2012. The tip of Queensland, which holds Lakefield National Park in the southeast section of the image and Mungkan Kandu National Park in the northwest, bears the typical tan color of a late winter landscape. A few clouds stream over the Coral Sea and over the northeastern-most tip of the land, while the Great Barrier Reef shines in the blue waters just off the coast.
On August 1, 2012, PLOS One, an international, peer-reviewed, open-access, online scientific publication, published a study that, for the first time ever, identified melanoma found in the skin of a wild fish population. Scientists from Newcastle University in the United Kingdom diagnosed this skin cancer in 15% of the coral trout (P. leopardus) collected from several of the reefs in the Great Barrier Reef.
In domestic fish species, in cats and in humans, an increase in incidence of melanoma is correlated to increased exposure to UV radiation. Melanoma is often an aggressive and fatal type of cancer.
The appearance of this syndrome in an economically important species of fish within the Great Barrier Reef raises significant questions, including potential links to increases in UV radiation from stratospheric ozone depletion – alone or in combination with other environmental stressors, the effect of melanoma on the health and longevity of affected coral trout, and the impact of the newly-recognized disease on other fish species and other reefs.
Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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Gallbladder Polyps: Causes, Risks, Treatment Options, Prevention Tips
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