Is cholecystitis related to not eating breakfast in the morning? What tests can be done to diagnose cholecystitis?

Generally, gallstones can cause cholecystitis. The formation of gallstones is a process of accumulation. Some people say that skipping breakfast in the morning can cause gallstones. So, is this statement reliable? What tests can be done to confirm whether it is cholecystitis?

Is there any connection between cholecystitis and not eating breakfast in the morning?

Yes. Skipping breakfast greatly increases the risk of cholecystitis or gallstones and even gallbladder cancer.

Bile is secreted by liver cells, and the gallbladder is only a bile storage organ. When you eat in the morning, the bile stored in the gallbladder overnight is ejected into the duodenum through the contraction of the gallbladder, mixed with food, and mainly digests fat. If you do not have the habit of breakfast, the gallbladder will gradually lose its function of contracting and excreting bile.

As bile concentration increases, crystals precipitate, and the solids continue to rub against the gallbladder wall, causing chronic inflammation and cholecystitis. Crystals continue to precipitate and solidify into gallstones. The stones continue to rub against the gallbladder wall, which can easily induce more serious chronic inflammation and increase the risk of cancer.

What tests can confirm cholecystitis?

The examination methods for cholecystitis mainly include imaging examination, biochemical examination, and routine blood test. CT and MRCP examinations can be performed for some patients with bile duct stones and common bile duct stones.

At present, the diagnosis of acute and chronic cholecystitis mainly relies on abdominal color ultrasound. Color ultrasound can observe the size of the gallbladder, the thickness of the gallbladder wall, and if there are gallstones, it can also determine the location and size of the stones and whether they cause obstruction.

Routine blood examination mainly shows an increase in neutrophils and lymphocytes, which is more common in acute cholecystitis.

In biochemical examinations, patients with acute cholecystitis and stone impaction may show transient increases in bilirubin and other liver function abnormalities.

What should patients with cholecystitis pay attention to in their diet?

1. Avoid eating spicy, irritating, and greasy foods. Because high-fat foods require more bile to digest, cholecystitis causes gallbladder edema, and stimulating gallbladder contraction will cause severe pain, nausea, vomiting, and even indigestion. Therefore, it is best to eat vegetable oil and avoid eating fatty meat, eggs, cream, etc. Avoid drinking alcohol, chili peppers, mustard, ginger, onions, garlic, etc.

2. Avoid eating acidic and overcold or overheated foods. Acidic foods include vinegar, hawthorn, lemon, etc. After entering the digestive tract, these acidic foods will stimulate the stomach and intestines to produce cholecystokinin, causing gallbladder contraction and pain. Overcold or overheated foods will cause gallbladder and bile duct contraction and spasm, causing pain. Therefore, eat some light, warm and soft foods.

3. You can eat some low-fat, low-cholesterol, high-carbohydrate foods, such as honey water, lotus seed soup, longan soup, rice porridge, soy milk and other foods. These are good for digestion and have little stimulation to the gastrointestinal tract, so the stimulation to the gallbladder is also small.