Encyclopedia of Diets - A Guide to Health and Nutrition

Recovery time usually involves 5–7 days in the hospi-

tal and several weeks at home.

Some people are not healthy enough to undergo

surgery. In this case, treatment options include a med-

ication called ursodiol (Actigall) that helps dissolve

cholesterol stones. However, the dissolving process

can take 6ndash;18 months. Sometimes this drug is

given to people going on medically supervised very-

low-calorie diets for fast weight loss to help prevent

them from developing gallstones. The other nonsurgi-

cal treatment option is sound wave therapy (extracor-

poreal shock wave lithotripsy). High-frequency sound

waves are aimed at the gallstones to shatter them into

smaller pieces. The pieces are then dissolved using the

ursodiol. With nonsurgical treatment gallstones often

reoccur. When the patient is healthy enough for sur-

gery, gallbladder removal is usually the preferred

option.

Nutrition/Dietetic concerns

Once recovery from surgery is complete, individ-

uals who have had their gallbladder removed can

return to a normal healthy diet.

Prognosis

Gallbladder surgery is quite safe, although all

surgery carries risk of infection, reaction to anesthesia,

and unintentional damage to other tissue. Once the

gallbladder is removed, no more gallstones can form.

Most complications from gallstones arise when treat-

ment is delayed and the pancreas or gallbladder

becomes infected. This is a serious, potentially fatal,

complication because infection can spread rapidly and

overwhelm the body. Gallstone disease is responsible

for about 10,000 deaths in the United States each year,

of which only a few hundred are caused by surgical

complications. The vast majority are caused by gall-

stone disease that has caused infection.

Prevention

The formation of gallstones cannot be prevented.

However maintaining a healthy weight, exercising reg-

ularly, and eating a diet high in whole grains and fresh

fruit and vegetables and low in fat and cholesterol

decrease the chance that gallstones will develop.

Resources

ORGANIZATIONS

American College of Gastroenterology. P.O. Box 342260

Bethesda, MD 20827-2260. Telephone: (301) 263-9000.

Website:<http://www.acg.gi.org>

American Gastroenterological Association. 4930 Del Ray

Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814, Telephone: (301) 654-

2089. Website:<:http://www.gastro.org>
      Weight-control Information Network (WIN). 1 WIN Way,
      Bethesda, MD 20892-3665. Telephone: (877)946-4627
      or (202) 828-1025. Fax: (202) 828-1028. Website:
      http://win.niddk.nih.gov
      OTHER
      Faye, Maryanne L. and William K. Chiang. ‘‘Cholelithia-
      sis.’’ eMedicine.com, June 12, 2006.http://www.
      emedicine.com/emerg/topic97.htm
      Heuman, Douglas M. and Anastasios Mihas. ‘‘Cholelithia-
      sis.’’ eMedicine.com, August 2, 2006.http://www.
      emedicine.com/med/topic836.htm
      Mayo Clinic Staff. ‘‘Gallstones.’’ MayoClinic.com, July 25,
      2005.<http://www.mayoclinic.com/healthgall stones/
      DS00165/>
      Raboff, William K. ‘‘Gallstones.’’ eMedicineHealth.com,
      August 10, 2005.http://www.emedicinehealth.com/
      gallstones/article_em.htm
      Weight-control Information Network (WIN). ‘‘Dieting and
      Gallstones.’’ National Institute of Diabetes and Diges-
      tive and Kidney Diseases, April 2006.http://win.
      niddk.nih.gov/publications/gallstones.htm

Tish Davidson, A.M.

Gastroesophageal reflux

disease

Definition

GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease, occurs

when gastric juice from the stomach backs up into the

bottom of the esophagus and causes irritation, inflam-

mation or erosion of the cells lining the esophagus.

GERD is sometimes called acid reflux disease.

Description

The esophagus carries food from the mouth to the

stomach. A ring of strong muscle called the lower

esophageal sphincter (LES) is located at the spot

where the esophagus enters the stomach. The LES

relaxes and opens when a person swallows, allowing

food to enter the stomach. The LES stays closed in

healthy people the rest of the time, preventing the

contents of the stomach from backing up into the

esophagus. In people with GERD, the LES is weak

and opens at inappropriate times, allowing a back-

wash of stomach contents into the bottom part of the

esophagus.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease