Gallstones are the most common disease in the gallbladder. They generally cause pain on the right side of the abdomen, just under the lungs. The pain can be flared with eating, particularly when eating fatty foods. The pain may or may not radiate to the right shoulder. It frequently is associated with nausea.

If somebody has symptomatic gallstones, it is frequently worth removing the gallbladder, because the gallstones may travel down the bile duct leading to pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), or dangerous infections such as ascending cholangitis. Gallstones are one of the two most common causes of pancreatitis in the United States; the other being alcohol. Somebody with symptomatic gallstones should consult with a surgeon to determine if removing the gallbladder is a good option.

People can live just fine without a gallbladder. Its purpose is to store bile, which is a substance used in the digestion of fat. The liver will continue to make bile after the gallbladder is removed, meaning digestion should be unimpeded.