29 October 2014
NICE guidance to ensure high quality care for those with gallstones disease
A ‘postcode lottery’ of treatment should finally become a thing of the past for sufferers of gallstones disease after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published new guidance for the NHS.
Gallstones are small stones, usually made of cholesterol, that form in the gallbladder. They can irritate the gallbladder or block part of the biliary system, which includes gallbladder, liver, kidneys and pancreas. This can cause symptoms such as pain, infection and inflammation.
Roughly 15% of the UK adult population are thought to have gallstone disease.
Professor Mark Baker, Director of the Centre for Clinical Practice at NICE, said: “There has been longstanding variation in how people with gallstones are treated.
"This new NICE guideline addresses uncertainties and guides healthcare professionals on how gallstones disease should be identified, diagnosed and managed.”
NICE recommends that people with gallstones disease who are currently experiencing no symptoms should take a watch-and-wait approach to their gallstones and avoid potentially unnecessary surgical treatments.
Although most people with this condition never suffer any symptoms, gallstone disease is the most common cause of emergency hospital admission for people with abdominal pain. In the past, there has been uncertainty about the best time to remove a person’s gallbladder, when surgery is needed. NICE recommends that those with acute symptoms have surgery within 1 week.
About 50,000 people a year require an operation to have their gallbladder removed due to painful symptoms.
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About NICE
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