What is the Difference Between Biliary Colic and Cholecystitis

The key difference between biliary colic and cholecystitis is that biliary colic is a condition that causes pain in the middle to the upper right area of the abdomen, while cholecystitis is a condition that causes redness and swelling of the gallbladder.

Biliary colic and cholecystitis are two gallbladder diseases. These conditions are due to problems in the gallbladder. Biliary colic occurs when the gallbladder contracts and causes a gallstone to temporarily block the bile duct that drains the gallbladder. On the other hand, cholecystitis is due to the inflammation of the gallbladder.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Biliary Colic
3. What is Cholecystitis
4. Similarities – Biliary Colic and Cholecystitis
5. Biliary Colic vs Cholecystitis in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Biliary Colic vs Cholecystitis

What is Biliary Colic?

Biliary colic is a condition that happens when the gallbladder contracts and causes a gallstone to temporarily block the bile duct that drains the gallbladder. This condition is due to a gallstone that blocks the bile duct. However, the pain that occurs due to this condition can go away if the gallstone passes into the small intestine or if it unblocks the duct. Moreover, the increased pressure in the gallbladder gives rise to the pain and discomfort associated with the biliary colic.

The typical symptoms of this condition may include pain in the middle to the right upper abdomen, pain that radiates to the shoulder area, sharp, crampy pain that feels like a constant dull ache, pain that occurs in the evening after a heavy meal or after bedtime, pain that lasts for 30 minutes to an hour, and pain that disappears when the gallstone breaks free from the bile duct. The risk factors for this condition may include gender (females are more likely to be affected), heredity, age (people older than 40), ethnicity (Native American or Mexican American), and body weight (overweight).

Biliary colic can be diagnosed through physical examination, ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI. Furthermore, treatment options for biliary colic may include pain medications, laparoscopic surgery, and open surgery.

What is Cholecystitis?

Cholecystitis is a medical condition that is due to the inflammation of the gallbladder. Approximately 120,000 Americans suffer from acute cholecystitis yearly. Cholecystitis is mainly caused by gallstones that block the cystic duct, which prevents bile from exiting the gallbladder. The risk factors for this condition include family history, gender (woman age 50 or older), older people, eating a diet rich in fat or cholesterol, obesity, ethnicity (native American, Scandinavian, or Hispanic descent), estrogen replacement therapy, and weight loss rapidly.

Moreover, the symptoms of cholecystitis may include pain that comes on suddenly and causes severe pain, or pain that tends to be less severe and does not last as long, tenderness in the abdomen, nausea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain that worsens when taking a breath, abdominal pain, cramping after eating, and jaundice.

Cholecystitis can be diagnosed through physical examination, abdominal ultrasound, hepatobiliary nuclear imaging (HIDA scan), magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), and abdominal computed tomography (CT scan). Furthermore, treatment options for cholecystitis may include fasting to rest the gallbladder, intravenous fluid, pain medications, antibiotics, cholecystectomy, draining the gallbladder to prevent any infection, and removing the gallstones.

What are the Similarities Between Biliary Colic and Cholecystitis?

• Biliary colic and cholecystitis are two gallbladder diseases.
• Biliary colic can lead to cholecystitis if it is not managed properly.
• Both conditions can be triggered by gallstones.
• They may have similar symptoms, such as pain in the abdomen and fatigue.
• Both conditions can be diagnosed through physical examination and imaging testing.
• They are mainly treated through pain medications and surgeries.

What is the Difference Between Biliary Colic and Cholecystitis?

Biliary colic is a condition that causes pain in the middle to the upper right area of the abdomen, while cholecystitis is a condition that causes redness and swelling of the gallbladder. Thus, this is the key difference between biliary colic and cholecystitis. Furthermore, biliary colic occurs when the gallbladder contracts and causes a gallstone to temporarily block the bile duct that drains the gallbladder. On the other hand, cholecystitis occurs when gallstones that block the cystic duct prevent bile from exiting the gallbladder.

The below infographic presents the differences between biliary colic and cholecystitis in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Biliary Colic vs Cholecystitis

Gallbladder is a sac that is located under the liver and stores and concentrates bile produced by the liver. Gallbladder diseases include inflammation, infections, stones, or blockage of the gallbladder. Biliary colic and cholecystitis are two gallbladder diseases. Both these conditions can be triggered by the gallstones. Biliary colic causes pain in the middle to the upper right area of the abdomen, while cholecystitis causes redness and swelling of the gallbladder. So, this summarizes the difference between biliary colic and cholecystitis.

Reference:

1. “Biliary Colic.” Harvard Health.
2. “Cholecystitis.” Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Ultrasonography of sludge and gallstones, annotated” By Mikael Häggström, Own work (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Severe acute necrotizing cholecystitis, HE 1” By Patho – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia