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People who died of gallbladder or biliary tract disorders
Located in the upper right portion of the abdomen, the liver and gallbladder are interconnected by ducts known as the biliary tract, which drains into the first segment of the small intestine (the duodenum). Although the liver and gallbladder participate in some of the same functions, they are very different.
Gallbladder and Biliary Tract
The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped, muscular storage sac that holds bile. Bile is a greenish yellow, thick, sticky fluid. It consists of bile salts, electrolytes (dissolved charged particles, such as sodium and bicarbonate), bile pigments, cholesterol, and other fats (lipids). Bile has two main functions: aiding in digestion and eliminating certain waste products (mainly hemoglobin and excess cholesterol) from the body. Bile salts aid in digestion by making cholesterol, fats, and fat-soluble vitamins easier to absorb from the intestine. The main pigment in bile, bilirubin, is a waste product that is formed from hemoglobin (the protein that carries oxygen in the blood) and is excreted in bile. Hemoglobin is released when old or damaged red blood cells are destroyed.
The gallbladder, although useful, is not necessary. If the gallbladder is removed (for example, in a person with cholecystitis), bile can move directly from the liver to the small intestine.
Hard masses consisting mainly of cholesterol (gallstones) may form in the gallbladder or bile ducts. Gallstones usually cause no symptoms. However, gallstones may block the flow of bile from the gallbladder, causing pain (biliary colic) or inflammation. They may also migrate from the gallbladder to the bile duct, where they can block the normal flow of bile to the intestine, causing jaundice (a yellowish discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes) in addition to pain and inflammation. The flow of bile can also be blocked by tumors. Other causes of blocked flow are less common.
Types of Gallbladder illnesses:
- Gallstones
- Cholecystitis (acute of chronic inflammation of gallbladder)
- Choledocholithiasis (gallstones lodged in neck of gallbladder)
- Gallbadder cancer (relatively rare)
- Gangrene of the Gallbladder (due to infections, injury, diabetes, surgery or diseases related to blood circulation)
- Abscess of the Gallbladder
Death and mortality statistics for Gall bladder conditions:
- Deaths from Gall bladder conditions: 2,830 deaths reported in USA 1999 for cholelithiasis and other gall bladder conditions(NVSR Sep 2001)
People who died from Gallbladder disorders, complications
- John Murtha (1932- 2010)– complications from Gallbladder surgery
- Jack Lemmon died of Gallbladder cancer
- Andy Warhol died shortly after having gallbladder removed
- Lisa Griffin ( -2011) died following gallbladder removal with a bile duct infection
- Iain Banks, science fiction writer, died from Gallbladder cancer
- Omar Henry, (1988-2013) welterweight boxer, died from Gallbladder cancer (http://www.examiner.com/article/omar-henry-loses-his-battle-with-ga...)
Additional Reading:
- Merck Manuals Consumer Version Liver and Gallbladder Disorders
- Merck Manuals Consumer Version Liver and Gallbladder Disorders
- Liver Disease Facts
- Gallbladder Disease – Types of Gallbladder Diseases
- Facts about Liver Disease in UK
- Wikipedia -- Acute Liver Failure
- Statistics about Gall bladder conditions
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