Definition
Biliary colic is a sudden attack of severe pain that arises in the upper middle or right upper abdomen near the rib cage, often radiating to the back or shoulder. It is caused most frequently by a gallstone becoming impacted in the cystic duct – the tube that is connected to the gallbladder. Biliary colic may also occur due to an impacted stone in the common bile duct (CBD) – the duct that empties bile into the intestine. The pain of biliary colic is often excruciating and may be accompanied by nausea or vomiting. It may last for a few minutes to several hours and may subside spontaneously or with pain relievers.
Renal colic is the pain associated with the passage of a kidney stone through the urinary tract. It is said to be one of the most excruciating painful events that a person may endure in life. The pain onset is sudden and severe, occurring in the lower back, either on one side or on both sides. It typically goes from loin to groin, and may radiate down to the testis (men) or labia (women).
What causes renal colic?
Causes of Renal Colic
Kidney stones (renal calculi) form within the kidneys where they are usually painless. It may travel down into the ureters, the tubular structures that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. These stones are made up of aggregates of crystals and may be of different types, of which calcium oxalate and phosphate stones seem to be most common. The other types of stones may consist of magnesium ammonium phosphate (struvite), cystine or uric acid.
Most newborn babies cry for a number of reasons but if a well-fed and healthy baby cries for more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 days per week, for at least 3 weeks, the infant may be suffering from colic. Although distressing and exhausting for the parents, colic is a self-limiting condition which eventually settles on its own and does not harm the baby in any way. It usually starts or becomes more intense a few weeks after birth but normally settles by 3 to 4 months of age. The term colic may be used in various medical contexts so the correct term for colic in babies is infantile colic.
Galactorrhea, also called hyperlactation, is the production of milk or a milk-like secretion from the breasts. It mostly affects women although it may occur in men and sometimes even babies. Breastmilk is usually produced in the breasts of women after childbirth, however, in galactorrhea milk production and secretion arises even without pregnancy or breastfeeding. It must be differentiated from any other breast discharge like pus which is due to an infection of the breast (mastitis).