Bile trapped in these ducts can cause inflammation in the gallbladder, the ducts, or, rarely, the liver. If a gallstone should block the bile duct at the place where the pancreas duct joins the bile duct, pancreas enzymes can become trapped in the pancreas and cause an extremely painful inflammation called pancreatitis. If any of these ducts remain blocked for a significant period of time, severe and possibly fatal infection and damage can occur, affecting the gallbladder, liver, or pancreas. Visible symptoms of a serious problem are fever, yellowing of the eyes and skin, and persistent abdominal pain . Many risk factors for gallstones have been identified.
Obesity is a major risk factor for the formation of gallstones.
This is felt to derive from the tendency of obese people to have fewer bile salts in bile, increasing the risk of gallstone formation. Decreased gallbladder emptying is also seen in obese people. Estrogen, whether from birth control pills, pregnancy, or from hormone replacement therapy can also lead to gallstones by increasing cholesterol levels in bile and decreasing gallbladder emptying. Native Americans are at ethnic risk of gallstones. Females are twice as likely as males to have gallstone disease in mid life.