Has anyone else experienced hair loss because of gallbladder problems? I have battled hair loss for 5 years, which has become extreme in the last 12 months, exactly when I started to suffer digestive issues on a daily basis and gain weight. All of my symptoms are hallmarks of gallbladder issues: pain in the right upper quadrant of my abdomen, clay coloured and fatty stools, lots of gas and bloating. Ultrasound came back negative for gallstones. However, I'm scheduled for a HIDA scan soon. My hair is dry, lifeless and falling out in clumps. My TSH, T3, and T4 have been consistently within normal range for 18 months. Same thing as far as sex hormones are concerned. Both liver and pancreatic enzymes are within normal range too. The only thing I can attribute this hair loss to is my digestive issues which all point to gallbladder dyskinesia. Thanks guys for your help!
I had my gallbladder out and have had some hair loss and also dry brittle hair. My dermatologist ran blood work and attributes it to my low ferritin levels which cause hair loss, can be due the liver not working properly she said. All my liver blood work and ultrasound has been normal but I’m going to liver dr in a few weeks to see what they think. My also have to due with fat processing and being absorbed correctly.
Also pre gallbladder surgery all my blood work, ultrasounds and cat scans were totally normal. However my HIDA scab showed 2% gallbladder function.
No. No such thing as hair loss due to gallbladder disease.
Is your reply based on your personal experience of gallbladder disease?
Thank you! Whatever it is that is causing you to lose your hair, I hope you get it sorted soon.
Yes never not have I heard of that. Probability nutrients you are lacking. Sorry.
Well, gallbladder issues can cause fat malabsorption and malabsorption of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, K - which in turn can cause problems such as dry skin and hair, and hair loss. I just spent 8 hours researching the topic and came up with lots of evidence that it IS possible to lose hair as a result of gallbladder issues. Please make sure you check your credentials before putting wrong information online. Or else make it clear that you're talking based on your own personal experience.
Yes to vitamin, fat malabsorption issues and also low iron, testing ferritin levels specifically-can also cause hair loss. I think I may have that going on, now to ask the Dr. what I can do. I can take vitamins but don’t want to aggravate by stomach, which has been aggravated lately with a few issues going on.
Thanks Jenn. However my ferritin levels are slightly too high. It's been slightly too high for 20 years. In my case it's genetic and I donate my blood every 3 months to keep it in check. So I know ferritin is not the issue as far as I am concerned. If low ferritin is the culprit as far as your hair loss is concerned, I highly recommend you to take some vitamin C daily, besides the iron your doctor will prescribe you. Vitamin C aids in the absorption of iron. Also avoid tea, which impairs iron absorption. Best wishes to you.
Hope my story is useful.Ofcourse, any digestion issues end up with not absorbing needed vitamns and minerals needed for the body and this will impact skin,nails and hair (External) and internally bloating,burping, indigestion. For me i also got additional symptoms like dizziness,tiredness and ringing in years and i'm only 37 male.
1. I did ultrasound in 2009, no stones. But still had reflux and bloating stomach
2. Did again in 2011, no stones. but still had reflux ,bloating stomach and some amount of pain on right side
3.Did hida scan in 2011, found gb working 0%. This time dizziness also started. Doctors advised to remove gb, but want to control with diet.
4.reduced eating fat/protein/oily food from there on, things were under control.
5.in 2017,Had multiple rounds of restaurant buffet for 3 months , ended up in diarrhea for 6 months. Did colonoscopy and endoscopy , same reflux. But did ultrasound , found stones. this time ringing in ears also started.
6.In addition to acid reflux,bloating and burping. I have developed dizziness and ringing in ears now and i'm on verge to remove the gallbladder. The dizziness and ringing in ears are horrible to live with.
did any one develop dizziness and ringing in ears with gallbladder issues?
Thank you so much for your very informative reply. Your story sounds A LOT like mine:
- 2013: abnormal hair loss started, as well as acne.
- 2014: first time I felt some discomfort in the liver area. It happened exactly during the World Cup during the match USA-Belgium.
- 2015: inexplicable dental problems started (bleeding gums)
- 2016: chronic eczema started and discomfort in the liver area started to occur more and more often, yet blood tests were normal on all levels.
I must point out that at the time, I used to smoke and I simply attributed that stomach discomfort to my smoking. I quit the dreadful habit in March 2016.
- 2017: that's when my digestive nightmare started. I put on 10 kg in 2 months despite training for a marathon and weight lifting. My GP said to me "congratulations on being a 35-year-old woman". I didn't buy that BS. Yet I looked 8 months pregnant and suffered from water retention, and this issue is now ongoing no matter how much I exercise - especially when I eat fats. Yet, a full blood work with an endocrinologist came back normal.
- 2018: everything has worsened and my new symptoms are EAR PAIN & EAR RINGING DIZZINESS and DIARRHEA. The dizziness happened in June and lasted for 3 weeks, until I took some milk thistle and dandelion root for 10 days. The discomfort in my liver area has now become a constant dull pain. Hence the ultrasound à few weeks ago, which came back negative. All clear for endoscopy and colonoscopy as well. I am now scheduled for a CT scan and a HIDA scan.
I am so sorry you're going through this. There is never a "right age" to be sick, but I find it so unfair to experience such health problems in our 30's, when we should be enjoying life to the fullest.
May I ask you why you decided to keep your gallbladder despite it being completely non functional? I'm so confused. Some people say that it can be saved with diet. Other people say that it's not really an organ and therefore once it's diseased, there is no coming back to a healthy state :-(
I was diagnosed with Gastritis very first and till now.. My surgeon feels still I will have stomach issues after surgery as I have Gastritis. So still on sidelines. As of now, lot of burping going on with normal food and any fat will end up in severe pain on gallbladder area.Im not sure if the Gastritis or the gallbladder...only removing it I will come to know..also each one is different after removing the gallbladder. Can't expect same outcome after GB removal...but only hope for me at this point is gb surgery 
I'm so sorry about that :-(
I'm not a doctor, and gastritis can have several causes. However, bile reflux can be one of them. So maybe sorting out your gallbladder issue and biliary system will end up curing your stomach inflammation too? I don't know . All of that is so complicated. Until now I had no idea how extremely complex the digestive system is. One thing is for sure, when I feel better, I will never take it for granted anymore.
Hi Carlem, hoping you're still receiving notifications on this thread? Have you managed to find the cause of your hair loss and other issues? Drs are making me feel like its all in my head!!
My hair started falling out in July 17 - 4 months after being diagnosed with gallstones. After the hair loss started (and hasn't yet recovered) I started piling on weight despite dieting and going to the gym (which I had never had to do in the past). I opted to have my gb removed on 1st May 2018. I Started taking tudca around July time. It's supposed to help with fat absorption. The weight gain is slowly coming off now (still through dieting and gym, but before it wasn't budging), and the bloating has gone down. My hair hasn't recovered yet though.
Thanks
no but my doctors tell me it maybe from the surgery itself and since it was a big change to my system it may be a year for my hair loss to regulate. after a stressful event like surgery the hair loss can follow, ive had my hormones tested and my iron is a bit better. there is a supplement called Viviscal my dermatologist recommended i think it works it just gave me some reflux.
Thanks Jenn. Hopefully our hair grows back to its former glory soon!
absolutely my hair started falling out first then around 8 months later I started having gallbladder issues dr did not think any of my symptoms were related UNTIL they removed my gallbladder within 3 weeks my bald spots all had hair coming back after having alopecia for 8 months plus it was a huge blessing my dr was amazed and now know other signs and symptoms to look for. now my new hair is roughly 6 inches and still growing and finally have color it came back with no pigment at first.i had a total of 3 places ! hope this helps image
I have had hair loss for a while but since just before all this started, it started coming up in shedloads. I'm praying it will grow back.
Hi...so sorry to hear about your gallbladder problems. One year ago I started to notice extreme weight gain, extremely dry lifeless hair, hair loss, extremely dry skin (I previously had very good skin) , dry crusty skin around corners of my mouth ,some yellowish skin on my eyelids , loose/greasy stools and lots of bloating. Regardless of how much excercise and careful eating the weight continued to pile on. Then after eating some greasy food at a party I wound up in immense pain in my upper right side. I was then sent for an ultrasound which revealed I have gallstones. I saw a surgeon who said he wouldn't remove my gb even though I suffer. I asked my family doctor to be referred to a different surgeon as I am suffering in pain and discomfort and the physical symptoms are very depressing. I'm hoping to get surgery soon. From everything I have been reading gallstones cause malabsorbtion of nutrients which explains the skin and hair issues. I feel your pain as it is very frustrating. I hope this helps shed light on this. Hope u are better soon