Can gallbladder inflammation cause fluid accumulation around the heart and lungs?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am a 19-year-old male, and a few months back, I went to the hospital for pain in my upper right quadrant. My gall bladder was inflamed, and there was fluid around my heart and lungs (pericardial and pleural effusion). I got all the tests done for disease and infection, and they all came negative. It has been a few months, but lately, I have been kept up at night wondering if the fluid will return. Could my inflamed gallbladder have caused the fluid build-up?

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com. I understand your concern. Right-sided pleural effusion can come from an inflamed gallbladder as the infection and inflammation can cause fluid collection on the right pleural space, which lies above the gallbladder. But getting pericardial effusion is unusual. It might not come back if it was due to the inflamed gall bladder. However, you can get a fluid collection if you develop some other problems in the future. Do you have any pleural fluid, blood reports, and chest X-rays reports done at the time? If pleural fluid was removed its analysis report would be useful to determine the cause. I hope this information will help.