If patient presents with RUQ pain after eating, what is the most likely diagnosis?

• A. Cholelithiasis (gallstones) or cholecystitis
• B. Pancreatitis
• C. Appendicitis
• D. Gastritis

Answer: (A)

Pain in the right upper quadrant after a meal points to gallbladder-related disease. When you eat, especially fatty foods, the gallbladder contracts to release bile. If gallstones are present, that contraction can trap a stone in the cystic duct, causing biliary colic and RUQ pain. If the obstruction leads to inflammation, you get cholecystitis, which still centers on the same biliary tract issue and often brings sharper, continuous pain possibly with fever or tenderness.

Pancreatitis can cause upper abdominal pain but is not characteristically tied to meals in the RUQ alone; it’s typically epigastric and may radiate to the back, with a history of risk factors like alcohol use or triglycerides. Appendicitis usually starts around the navel and then localizes to the right lower quadrant, not specifically after meals. Gastritis causes upper abdominal discomfort, but it’s more often described as epigastric and not strictly localized to the RUQ after eating.

So the post-meal RUQ pain most strongly suggests gallbladder-related issues—gallstones or inflammation of the gallbladder.