[Weekly Health] Upper abdominal pain after holiday overeating…"It may be cholecystitis, not indigestion"
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Gangnam St. Peter's Hospital 26-02-14 00:00Main content
[Weekly Health] Upper abdominal pain after holiday overeating…"It may be cholecystitis, not indigestion"
Weekly Health
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Filed 2026-02-14 07:11
Filed February 14, 2026, 07:11
Three-line summary
Kim, Gil Won
Reporter Kim, Gil Won
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Onset is common after fatty food and drinking…“If pain and fever persist, go to hospital at once”
Enlarge image Lotte Department Store holiday feast gift set
Lotte Department Store holiday feast gift set
[Courtesy of Lotte Department Store = Yonhap News]
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Kil-won = The Lunar New Year table is far more lavish than usual. Not only do people eat more oily foods such as jeon, fried dishes and braised short ribs, but drinking can go on late into the night.
These holiday eating habits, however, can bring on an unexpected emergency condition: cholecystitis. It is easily mistaken for simple indigestion, but missing the window for treatment can lead to surgery, so caution is needed.
The gallbladder is a digestive organ in the upper abdomen that stores bile produced in the liver and releases it into the duodenum. Small as it is, it plays an important role in digesting fats. The problem is that as we age, metabolic function declines and the risks of gallstones and inflammation rise together.
Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service data show that cholecystitis patients increase in earnest from the 40s and 50s. As of 2024, patients in their 40s outnumbered those in their 30s by about 1.4 times, and patients in their 60s were double the number in their 30s, the largest of any age group. This is why managing gallbladder disease becomes important from middle age.
◇ Holiday overeating and drinking pull the trigger… gallstones block the bile duct and cause inflammation
The most common cause of cholecystitis is gallstones. Gallstones are a kind of concretion formed by an imbalance in the components of bile; when they block the cystic duct or bile duct, bile flow is cut off, pressure inside the gallbladder rises and inflammation develops. The great majority of acute cholecystitis cases are directly related to gallstones.
The holiday period is a particular burden on the gallbladder. When large amounts of high-fat food are eaten at once and alcohol is added, the gallbladder contracts excessively to release bile. In the process, a stone already present can block a duct and lead to acute cholecystitis. In fact, a considerable number of patients who visit emergency rooms over the holidays are diagnosed with acute cholecystitis.
The risk factors are relatively clear. Metabolic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, lipid abnormalities and raised cholesterol increase the risk of gallstone formation. The risk is greater still if a high-calorie, high-fat diet has been the norm.
Rapid weight loss is a problem too. One report finds that about one in four people who diet severely develops gallstones.
◇ “I thought it was indigestion”… suspect it when pain and fever last more than six hours
Cholecystitis presents differently depending on whether it is acute or chronic.
Acute cholecystitis typically causes severe pain in the right upper abdomen or the pit of the stomach. The pain may radiate to the back or the right shoulder and can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting and fever. Pain that worsens when the area below the right ribs is pressed is another characteristic.
If right upper abdominal pain lasts more than 6 hours, or fever and chills appear with vomiting that will not stop, gallbladder necrosis, perforation and even peritonitis are possible, so you must visit a hospital.
Chronic cholecystitis, by contrast, often has no clear symptoms. Only non-specific symptoms such as upper abdominal bloating, a feeling of fullness and indigestion appear, and they are easily mistaken for a stomach disorder. Even so, chronic inflammation and tissue changes can be progressing in the gallbladder.
Ko Yoon-song, head of the Abdominal Center at Seran Hospital, explained, "If pain worsens after eating fatty food and it hurts when you press below the right ribs, it is safer to go to a hospital than to put up with it," adding, "In particular, if you have previously been diagnosed with gallstones or have lost weight rapidly and you now have indigestion or upper abdominal discomfort, cholecystitis may be developing."
◇ Ultrasound is the basic diagnostic tool… surgery is the standard treatment for acute cases
Abdominal ultrasound is the basis of diagnosing cholecystitis. Ultrasound can detect gallstones in 90–95% of cases. It also shows whether the gallbladder wall has thickened and whether there are signs of inflammation nearby. In acute cholecystitis, blood tests also show a rising white blood cell count.
Treatment varies with the condition. For acute cholecystitis, surgical removal of the gallbladder is the standard treatment. Even after the gallbladder is removed, bile continues to be produced in the liver and flows straight into the intestine, so everyday digestion is largely unaffected.
Oral dissolution therapy, which dissolves gallstones with medication, is also available, but its complete dissolution rate is low at under 30%, and about half of cases recur after five years or more.
For chronic cholecystitis, the principle is to observe the course if there are no symptoms. If gallstones are found, however, tracking changes with regular ultrasound is recommended. When a stone is 2 cm or larger, preventive surgery may be considered.
Park Kwan-tae, Director of General Surgery at St. Peter's Hospital, advised, "Inflammation of the gallbladder goes beyond simple pain — tissue changes and reduced function make complications quite likely," adding, "Especially after age 40, metabolic factors and unhealthy lifestyle habits tend to make it worse, so it is important to keep an eye on gallbladder health."
bio@yna.co.kr
Weekly Health
Subscribe
Filed 2026-02-14 07:11
Filed February 14, 2026, 07:11
Three-line summary
Kim, Gil Won
Reporter Kim, Gil Won
Subscribe
Onset is common after fatty food and drinking…“If pain and fever persist, go to hospital at once”
Enlarge image Lotte Department Store holiday feast gift set
Lotte Department Store holiday feast gift set
[Courtesy of Lotte Department Store = Yonhap News]
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Kil-won = The Lunar New Year table is far more lavish than usual. Not only do people eat more oily foods such as jeon, fried dishes and braised short ribs, but drinking can go on late into the night.
These holiday eating habits, however, can bring on an unexpected emergency condition: cholecystitis. It is easily mistaken for simple indigestion, but missing the window for treatment can lead to surgery, so caution is needed.
The gallbladder is a digestive organ in the upper abdomen that stores bile produced in the liver and releases it into the duodenum. Small as it is, it plays an important role in digesting fats. The problem is that as we age, metabolic function declines and the risks of gallstones and inflammation rise together.
Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service data show that cholecystitis patients increase in earnest from the 40s and 50s. As of 2024, patients in their 40s outnumbered those in their 30s by about 1.4 times, and patients in their 60s were double the number in their 30s, the largest of any age group. This is why managing gallbladder disease becomes important from middle age.
◇ Holiday overeating and drinking pull the trigger… gallstones block the bile duct and cause inflammation
The most common cause of cholecystitis is gallstones. Gallstones are a kind of concretion formed by an imbalance in the components of bile; when they block the cystic duct or bile duct, bile flow is cut off, pressure inside the gallbladder rises and inflammation develops. The great majority of acute cholecystitis cases are directly related to gallstones.
The holiday period is a particular burden on the gallbladder. When large amounts of high-fat food are eaten at once and alcohol is added, the gallbladder contracts excessively to release bile. In the process, a stone already present can block a duct and lead to acute cholecystitis. In fact, a considerable number of patients who visit emergency rooms over the holidays are diagnosed with acute cholecystitis.
The risk factors are relatively clear. Metabolic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, lipid abnormalities and raised cholesterol increase the risk of gallstone formation. The risk is greater still if a high-calorie, high-fat diet has been the norm.
Rapid weight loss is a problem too. One report finds that about one in four people who diet severely develops gallstones.
◇ “I thought it was indigestion”… suspect it when pain and fever last more than six hours
Cholecystitis presents differently depending on whether it is acute or chronic.
Acute cholecystitis typically causes severe pain in the right upper abdomen or the pit of the stomach. The pain may radiate to the back or the right shoulder and can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting and fever. Pain that worsens when the area below the right ribs is pressed is another characteristic.
If right upper abdominal pain lasts more than 6 hours, or fever and chills appear with vomiting that will not stop, gallbladder necrosis, perforation and even peritonitis are possible, so you must visit a hospital.
Chronic cholecystitis, by contrast, often has no clear symptoms. Only non-specific symptoms such as upper abdominal bloating, a feeling of fullness and indigestion appear, and they are easily mistaken for a stomach disorder. Even so, chronic inflammation and tissue changes can be progressing in the gallbladder.
Ko Yoon-song, head of the Abdominal Center at Seran Hospital, explained, "If pain worsens after eating fatty food and it hurts when you press below the right ribs, it is safer to go to a hospital than to put up with it," adding, "In particular, if you have previously been diagnosed with gallstones or have lost weight rapidly and you now have indigestion or upper abdominal discomfort, cholecystitis may be developing."
◇ Ultrasound is the basic diagnostic tool… surgery is the standard treatment for acute cases
Abdominal ultrasound is the basis of diagnosing cholecystitis. Ultrasound can detect gallstones in 90–95% of cases. It also shows whether the gallbladder wall has thickened and whether there are signs of inflammation nearby. In acute cholecystitis, blood tests also show a rising white blood cell count.
Treatment varies with the condition. For acute cholecystitis, surgical removal of the gallbladder is the standard treatment. Even after the gallbladder is removed, bile continues to be produced in the liver and flows straight into the intestine, so everyday digestion is largely unaffected.
Oral dissolution therapy, which dissolves gallstones with medication, is also available, but its complete dissolution rate is low at under 30%, and about half of cases recur after five years or more.
For chronic cholecystitis, the principle is to observe the course if there are no symptoms. If gallstones are found, however, tracking changes with regular ultrasound is recommended. When a stone is 2 cm or larger, preventive surgery may be considered.
Park Kwan-tae, Director of General Surgery at St. Peter's Hospital, advised, "Inflammation of the gallbladder goes beyond simple pain — tissue changes and reduced function make complications quite likely," adding, "Especially after age 40, metabolic factors and unhealthy lifestyle habits tend to make it worse, so it is important to keep an eye on gallbladder health."
bio@yna.co.kr