The bile passes through ducts from the gallbladder into the small intestine and helps digest fats. A healthy gallbladder has balanced amounts of bile acids and cholesterol. When the concentration of cholesterol becomes too high, gallstones may form. They can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball.
Most gallstones produce no symptoms.
However, when gallstones cause problems, the situation can be more serious. They usually occur infrequently weeks, months or even years apart. Daily abdominal pain is usually not gallbladder disease. About 1 in 10 Americans has or will have gallstones. Your ethnic background is American Indian or Mexican-American.