Gallstones are not life-threatening, but they can cost you big if left untreated for years. However, the question is: Why would they remain untreated? It is because gallstones mostly do not show any symptoms at all. It is quite a common disease among people, but if left untreated, the stones could grow in size, leading to many other complications in the body.

An overview
A gallstone is nothing but a stone-like solid deposit of digestive fluids formed in the gallbladder. The gallbladder is located beneath the liver on the right side of the abdomen. A gallstone is usually small in size (usually the size of a grain), but if remained untreated for several years, it can multiply in number and integrate with other gallstones to form a bigger gallstone that may resemble the size of a golf ball or worse, even bigger.

Risk factors of gallstones
A gallstone usually occurs after the age of 35; it occurs among individuals under the age of 30 only in rare cases. An untreated gallstone may lead to complications that can risk your health and life.

• Obstruction of bile duct
  In the initial stages, the grain-sized gallstone can be treated with oral medications, but if it is not controlled, it might block the tubes through which the digestive juice is delivered from the liver to the small intestine. This might require surgery for the reversing of the condition.
• Inflammation of gallbladder
  A gallstone can clog the opening of the bile duct, causing inflammation of the gallbladder, which is also known as cholecystitis. Cholecystitis can cause severe pain and irritation and can even lead to fever sometimes.
• Blockage of the pancreatic duct
  A gallstone can also block the pancreatic tube that connects the pancreas to the bile duct. This might block the pancreatic juice from flowing into your stomach, hindering easy digestion. Blockage in the pancreatic tube can cause severe inflammation and pain and, in severe cases, the patient may also need to be hospitalized.
• Gallbladder infection
  A blockage at the opening of the bile duct can lead to infections in the gallbladder, which, if left untreated, can spread to the liver and other nearby organs.
• Gallbladder cancer
  People with a history of gallstones are at higher risk of getting diagnosed with gallbladder cancer. The good news is that the cancer is not as menacing as the other forms of cancer because even if it is diagnosed, the removal of gallbladder stones can stop cancer from spreading across the body.

Symptoms of gallstones
A gallstone is one of the few health hazards that do not show any symptoms at all in the initial stage. In some cases, it might not show any symptoms at all throughout or until it develops to reach an unmanageable state. The most common symptoms include:

• Sudden, rapid, and unexplained pain in the upper abdomen that lasts for hours
• Nausea and vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Fever or jaundice