IT’S a rare person who hasn’t self-diagnosed various aches and pains.
A common complaint which usually sends us straight to doctor Google is shoulder pain.
GettyA sore shoulder can be a sign of a serious gallbladder condition, known as acute cholecystitis[/caption]
An achy shoulder is usually nothing to worry about – and will normally begin to improve within two weeks or so with adequate rest and pain relief.
The pain is often the result of sleeping on a weird angle or over exercising, the NHS says.
But in some cases, a sore shoulder can be a sign of a serious gallbladder condition, known as acute cholecystitis.
The pain usually starts as a sudden sharp pain in the upper right side of your tummy (abdomen) that spreads towards your right shoulder.
Breathing deeply can make the pain worse, and it doesn’t go away within a few hours.
The condition happens when a digestive juice called bile gets trapped in the gallbladder.
In most cases, this happens because lumps of solid material (gallstones) block a tube that drains bile from the gallbladder.
When gallstones block this tube, bile builds up in your gallbladder. This causes irritation and pressure in the gallbladder and can lead to swelling and infection.
Acute cholecystitis is potentially serious because of the risk of complications, including sepsis and death.
It usually needs to be treated in hospital with rest, intravenous fluids and antibiotics.
Removing the gallbladder may be recommended at some point after initial treatment to prevent acute cholecystitis coming back.
What is the gallbladder?
Your gallbladder is a small pear-shaped organ tucked away under your liver in the upper right section of your abdomen.
It’s gallbladder’s job is to store bile – a fat-digesting fluid made by the liver – and to release it to your small intestine after you eat a meal.
The six other signs of acute cholecystitis
a high temperature (fever)nausea and vomitingsweatingloss of appetiteyellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes (jaundice)a bulge in the abdomen Read More