What is the Difference Between Cholangitis and Cholecystitis

The key difference between cholangitis and cholecystitis is that cholangitis is the inflammation of the common bile duct due to biliary obstruction, while cholecystitis is the inflammation of the gallbladder and the cystic duct.

Gastrointestinal disorders are conditions of the digestive system, which is an extensive and complex system that breaks down the food we consume. The digestive system normally helps to absorb water and extract nutrients, minerals, and vitamins for the body’s usage while removing unabsorbed waste. There are several disorders affecting the digestive system, including celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), lactose intolerance, chronic diarrhoea, constipation, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, gallstones, cholangitis, and cholecystitis. Cholangitis and cholecystitis are two related gastrointestinal tract disorders. Cholangitis may lead to cholecystitis, gallbladder perforation, or sepsis without medical intervention.

CONTENTS

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

What is Cholangitis?

Cholangitis is the inflammation of the bile ducts, especially the common bile duct. The bile duct system carries bile from the liver and gall bladder into the first part of the small intestine called the duodenum. Cholangitis, in most cases, is caused by a blocked duct in the bile duct system. The blockage is commonly caused by gallstones or sludge influencing the bile ducts. The autoimmune system can also cause cholangitis. Cholangitis may also be caused when people have a backflow of bacteria from the small intestine, blood infections, or a test done to check the liver or gallbladder. The other less common causes of cholangitis include tumors, blood clots, narrowing of a duct due to surgery, swollen pancreas, and parasite infections. Symptoms of cholangitis include pain in the upper right part of the belly, fever, chills, yellowing of the skin and eyes, nausea, vomiting, clay coloured stools, dark urine, low blood pressure, lethargy, and changes in alertness.

Moreover, cholangitis can be diagnosed through complete blood count, liver function test, blood cultures, ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC). Furthermore, cholangitis is treated through intravenous fluid, bile duct drainage, antibiotics, endoscopic therapy, percutaneous therapy and surgery, and liver transplants.

What is Cholecystitis?

Cholecystitis is the inflammation of the gallbladder and cystic duct. The gallbladder holds a digestive fluid called bile. Bile is released into the small intestine. The symptoms of cholecystitis may include severe pain in the upper right center of the abdomen, pain that spreads to the right shoulder or back, tenderness over the abdomen when it is touched, nausea, vomiting, and fever. Cholecystitis can be caused by gallstones, tumors, bile duct blockage, infection, and severe illness.

Cholecystitis can be diagnosed through physical examinations, blood tests, CT scans, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), and hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scans. Furthermore, cholecystitis is treated through fasting, intravenous fluid, antibiotics, pain medications, a procedure to remove stones, gallbladder drainage, and gallbladder removal surgery.

What are the Similarities Between Cholangitis and Cholecystitis?

• Cholangitis and cholecystitis are two related gastrointestinal tract disorders.
• Cholangitis may lead to cholecystitis, gallbladder perforation, or sepsis without medical intervention.
• Both conditions can be caused by bile duct blockage by gallstones.
• Both conditions can be diagnosed through imaging testing.
• They are treated with antibiotics and specific surgeries.

What is the Difference Between Cholangitis and Cholecystitis?

Cholangitis is the inflammation of the common bile duct, while cholecystitis is the inflammation of the gallbladder and cystic duct. Thus, this is the key difference between cholangitis and cholecystitis. Furthermore, cholangitis is caused by a blocked duct in the bile duct system by gallstones or sludge influencing the bile ducts, autoimmune disease, a backflow of bacteria from the small intestine, blood infection, or a test done to check the liver or gallbladder, a tumor, blood clots, a narrowing of a duct due to surgery, swollen pancreas and a parasite infection. On the other hand, cholecystitis is caused by gallstones, tumor, bile duct blockage, infection, and severe illness.

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

Summary – Cholangitis vs Cholecystitis

Gastrointestinal disorders are conditions of the digestive system. Cholangitis and cholecystitis are two related gastrointestinal tract disorders. Cholangitis is the inflammation of the bile ducts, while cholecystitis is the inflammation of the gallbladder and cystic duct. Cholangitis mainly happens when the common bile duct is obstructed, while cholecystitis mainly occurs when the cystic duct is obstructed by gallstones. So, this is the key difference between cholangitis and cholecystitis.

Reference:

1. “Cholecystitis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 9 Sept. 2022.
2. “Cholangitis.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2 July 2020.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Gallstones and Ascending Cholangitis” By BruceBlaus – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gallstones.png (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Severe acute necrotizing cholecystitis, HE 1” By Patho – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia