It’s estimated that more than 20 million Americans have gallstones; most people never know they have gallstones because they never have any symptoms. Even if they do have symptoms, the severity of the pain may not warrant undergoing surgery. Your doctor can help make this decision.
There are two primary types of gallstones: cholesterol stones and pigment stones. Cholesterol stones are the most common type of gallstones in America. Interestingly enough, in Asia pigmented stones are the more common type of gallstone.
Cholesterol Stones
These stones are primarily comprised of hardened cholesterol and are yellowish green in color. Cholesterol stones usually occur when the bile contains either too much cholesterol, too much bile salt (which help dissolve fat), or too little bilirubin (bile pigment). Cholesterol stones tend to occur more frequently in industrialized countries, like the United States.
Pigment Stones
These stones are usually caused by too much bilirubin in the body. They are comprised of bilirubin and calcium and are black or brown stones that are usually quite small in size. In developed countries like the United States they tend to occur in people with biliary tract infections, sickle-cell anemia, or cirrhosis of the liver. As stated previously pigment stones are more frequently seen in countries like Asia.
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