Risk factors and symptoms of gallbladder polyps

Gallbladder polyps are mucosal papillomas of the gallbladder gland, a neoplasm or pseudotumor that develops on the gallbladder mucosal surface.
This is a fairly common disease, which can appear at any age but mainly occurs in adults.

Gallbladder polyps found in the community range from 0.03 to 9% of the population. Fortunately, more than 92% of polyps are benign. Even so, there is still an 8% risk of developing gallbladder cancer that is difficult to treat. Benign gallbladder polyps account for about 92% of cases, including 2 types: true tumors such as adenomas, myomas, lipomas…; pseudotumor such as cholesterol tumor, adenomyoma, inflammatory pseudotumor… Malignant gallbladder polyp accounts for about 8%, including adenocarcinoma, melanoma, cancer metastasis… The danger elements There are many factors that are thought to be related to the formation of gallbladder polyps such as: poor liver function, blood sugar levels, high blood fat, obesity, irregular eating habits, hepatitis virus infection. .. But in fact, there is no research to confirm the exact cause of gallbladder polyp formation. Food has been implicated in gallbladder polyp formation. The disease is mostly benign, but it tends to increase due to inappropriate living and eating habits. There are many favorable factors for the formation of gallbladder polyps such as poor hepatobiliary function, blood sugar levels, high blood fat levels, obesity, hepatitis virus infection, eating habits high in fat, fat, etc. increase the amount of cholesterol in the body. For people with gallbladder polyps, the diet must be frugal, similar to those with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, that is, to reduce bad cholesterol in the blood. Gallbladder polyps are a fairly common disease that can appear at any age, but mainly affects adults. Recognizing signs Clinical signs are often vague, rarely aggressive, only when polyps cause secretion disorders, bile secretion in the gallbladder lumen or gallbladder stones or accompanying cholecystitis. At that time, the patient showed mild pain in the right lower quadrant or epigastrium about 80%, pain often appeared after eating; abdominal bloating, indigestion, nausea and vomiting may occur. The patient usually has no fever and no signs of biliary obstruction. Abdominal examination may show mild pain when pressing the right lower quadrant, most of which do not detect abnormal signs. Examine other organs for comorbidities. Abdominal ultrasound is useful for screening for gallbladder diseases, including gallbladder polyps. Ultrasound allows to identify polyps, location, size and shape of polyps… to help monitor the progress for appropriate treatment. The accurate diagnosis rate of ultrasound for gallbladder polyps is over 90%. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is indicated in cases of large polyps with risk of malignancy. Gallbladder polyps are cancerous? Usually, 92% of gallbladder polyps are benign (non-cancerous) in nature, so patients do not need surgical intervention to remove the gallbladder. Small polyps less than 1cm (or less than 1.5cm) can only need regular monitoring every 3-6 months without surgery to remove the gallbladder. Polyps larger than 1cm have the potential to progress to cancer, especially those larger than 1.5cm, so cholecystectomy may be recommended to prevent gallbladder cancer growth. According to studies, gallbladder polyps, if identified on ultrasound, are less than 10mm in size, most of which are benign. In addition, the images suggest malignancy when the polyp has spreading legs, irregular shape, and rapid growth. At that time, surgical intervention is indicated to remove the gallbladder. Doctor’s advice Because no probe can accurately diagnose the nature of gallbladder polyps without surgical intervention, the treatment regimen for gallbladder polyps is the same as when the patient is suspected of having gallbladder polyps detected by ultrasound. If there are no symptoms such as pain, fever, etc., you should check again after 6 months or 1 year to confirm. If after that time there is no picture of the polyp, then no intervention is necessary. In case the polyp image is clear, it is necessary to periodically follow up with ultrasound every 6 months if the tumor is larger than 10mm, or there are malignancies detected by blood tests, other investigations or the polyp has had clinical manifestations. such as recurrent fever and pain, early surgery is indicated. Today, with the development of laparoscopic surgery, laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a less invasive surgery, less pain and patients recover quickly, with few complications.