Which condition is suggested by jaundice, clay-colored stools, weight loss, and a distended non-painful gallbladder?

The presence of jaundice, clay-colored stools, weight loss, and a distended non-painful gallbladder indicates a condition involving obstruction of the bile duct system, leading to obstructive jaundice.

In obstructive jaundice, the blockage prevents bile from entering the intestines, which can result in clay-colored stools due to the absence of biliary pigments (bilirubin) that normally give stool its brown color. Jaundice occurs because of the accumulation of bilirubin in the bloodstream when it cannot be excreted properly. The significant weight loss could suggest a prolonged issue, such as a malignancy or chronic obstruction, and a distended gallbladder can be a sign of an underlying obstruction, which is often painless in the case of a true obstruction rather than inflammation (as seen in cholecystitis).

In contrast, conditions like cholecystitis typically present with localized pain and inflammation of the gallbladder, hepatitis causes more diffuse liver-related symptoms and often does not lead to clay-colored stools, and cirrhosis commonly presents with various systemic effects due to liver dysfunction rather than the specific manifestations seen here. Thus, the clinical picture is most consistent with obstructive jaundice stemming from a mechanical blockage in