How are hepatobiliary stones formed?

Stones can occur in many organs of the body, such as the kidneys, ureters, gallbladder or bladder, with liver stones and gallstones being the most common. Once a lump is formed in the body, the typical symptoms are pain and bleeding. A full understanding of the causes of gallstones will help us take better preventive measures. So, how are liver and gallstones formed? What are the reasons?

Pathogenesis of liver stones

The causes of liver stones are related to bacterial infection, parasitic infection and bile retention in the bile duct.

Infection is the primary factor leading to stone formation. Common causes of infection are biliary parasitic infection and recurrent cholangitis. Bacteria can be detected in bile culture of almost all patients with intrahepatic bile duct stones. The infecting bacteria mainly come from the intestines, and common bacteria are Escherichia coli and anaerobic bacteria. The B-glucuronidase produced during infection with Escherichia coli and some anaerobic bacteria and the endogenous glucuronidase produced during biliary tract infection can hydrolyze conjugated bilirubin to form free bilirubin and cause it to deposit.

Bile retention is a necessary condition for the formation of intrahepatic bile duct stones. Only under the condition of bile retention can the components in the bile be deposited and form stones. The causes of bile retention include biliary inflammatory stenosis and bile duct malformation; the pressure in the bile duct distal to the obstruction increases, the bile duct dilates, and the bile flow slows down, which is conducive to the formation of stones.

In addition, macromolecules such as mucin, acidic mucopolysaccharide, immunoglobulin in bile, inflammatory exudates, desquamated epithelial cells, bacteria, parasites, metal ions in bile, etc. are all involved in the formation of stones.

The main causes of gallstones may be:

1. Prefer quietness and less movement

Some people exercise less and do less physical labor. Over time, the contraction force of their gallbladder muscles will inevitably decrease, and bile emptying will be delayed, which can easily cause bile stasis and cholesterol crystallization, creating conditions for the formation of gallstones.

2. Obesity

Usually like to drink or snack high in fat, sugar and cholesterol, and obesity is an important basis for gallstones.

3. Skipping breakfast

Many people nowadays do not eat breakfast, and skipping breakfast for a long time will increase the concentration of bile, which is conducive to bacterial reproduction and easily promotes the formation of gallstones. If you insist on eating breakfast, it can promote the outflow of some bile, reduce the viscosity of bile stored overnight, and reduce the risk of gallstones.

4. After-meal snacks

When a person is in a curled up position, the intra-abdominal pressure increases and the gastrointestinal motility is restricted, which is not conducive to the digestion and absorption of food and the excretion of bile. Sitting for a long time after a meal affects the reabsorption of bile acid, resulting in an imbalance in the ratio of cholesterol to bile acid in the bile, and cholesterol is easily deposited.

5. Liver cirrhosis

This is related to the reduced estrogen inactivation function in the body of patients with cirrhosis. When the estrogen inactivation function in the body is reduced, the estrogen level is higher. In addition, multiple factors such as low gallbladder contraction function, poor gallbladder emptying, varicose veins in the bile duct, and increased blood bilirubin in patients with cirrhosis can cause gallstones.

6. Genetic factors

Genetic factors clearly play an important role in determining the risk of gallstones. Gallstones occur more often in close relatives of people with cholesterol cholelithiasis.