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Gilbert's Syndrome
  Gilbert's Syndrome
 Signs, symptoms, indicators
 Treatment recommendations
 


Gilbert's Syndrome, characterized by a chronically elevated serum bilirubin level (1.2 to 3.0mg/dL), is the most common of all benign unconjugated hyper-bilirubinemias. Previously considered rare, this disorder is now known to affect as much as 5% of the general population. Signs & Symptoms


The condition is usually asymptomatic, although some patients do complain about anorexia, malaise, and fatigue. In a small study, the most common symptom was chocolate and sweet craving followed by fatigue.

Diagnosis & Tests
Mild unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia is the only significant laboratory abnormality, which is important clinically because it is often misdiagnosed as chronic hepatitis.





Signs, symptoms & indicators of Gilbert's Syndrome:
Lab Values - Chemistries  High indirect bilirubin level
  High total bilirubin

Symptoms - Food - Preferences

  Sugar/sweet craving
  Strong/moderate chocolate craving

Symptoms - General

  Fatigue induced by light exertion

Recommendations and treatments for Gilbert's Syndrome:
Amino Acid / Protein  Methionine
 Methionine, administered as SAM, resulted in a significant decreases in serum bilirubin in patients with Gilbert's syndrome in a recent clinical study. SAM has been used with favorable results in a variety of other chronic liver diseases. TMG also converts to SAMe while being considerably less expensive.

Habits

  Fluoride Reduction/Avoidance
 John Lee, MD, a physician in private practice has stated that elevated bilirubin levels can be reduced in Gilbert's syndrome by avoiding fluoridated water and other sources of fluoride. This physician has seen bilirubin levels rise again when fluoride has been reintroduced. Gilbert's syndrome may be due to a partial deficiency of the hepatic enzyme glucuronyl transferase. Fluoride, being an enzyme inhibitor, reduces the enzymes' activity even further. ["Fluoride Linked to Gilbert's Syndrome", Lee, John R., M.D., Cortlandt Forum, September 1990;101: pp.31-33]

Nutrient

  TMG (Tri-methyl-glycine)
 Methionine, administered as SAM, resulted in a significant decreases in serum bilirubin in patients with Gilbert's syndrome in a recent clinical study. SAM has been used with favorable results in a variety of other chronic liver diseases. TMG also converts to SAMe while being considerably less expensive.


KEY
Weak or unproven link
Strong or generally accepted link
Proven definite or direct link
May do some good
Likely to help
Highly recommended


GLOSSARY

Anorexia Nervosa (Anorexia)
An eating disorder characterized by excess control - a morbid fear of obesity leads the sufferer to try and limit or reduce their weight by excessive dieting, exercising, vomiting, purging and use of diuretics. Sufferers are typically more than 15% below the average weight for their height/sex/age and typically have amenorrhea (if female) or low libido (if male). 1-2% of female teenagers are anorexic.

Asymptomatic
Not showing symptoms.

Benign
Literally: innocent; not malignant. Often used to refer to cells that are not cancerous; they tend to grow slowly and don't spread (metastasize) like cancer tumors do.

Bilirubin
A waste product of hemoglobin recycling, it is primarily excreted in feces, oxidizing into that familiar brown color (except for beets).

Chronic (Chronicity)
Usually referring to chronic illness: Illness extending over a long period of time.

Crave (Craving, Cravings)
To have a strong desire for; to feel the need for.

Deciliter (dL)
0.1 or one tenth of a liter.

Enzymes (Enzyme)
Specific protein catalysts produced by the cells that are crucial in chemical reactions and in building up or synthesizing most compounds in the body. Each enzyme performs a specific function without itself being consumed. For example, the digestive enzyme amylase acts on carbohydrates in foods to break them down.

Hepatitis
Inflammation of the liver usually resulting in jaundice (yellowing of the skin), loss of appetite, stomach discomfort, abnormal liver function, clay-colored stools, and dark urine. May be caused by a bacterial or viral infection, parasitic infestation, alcohol, drugs, toxins or transfusion of incompatible blood. Can be life-threatening. Severe hepatitis may lead to cirrhosis and chronic liver dysfunction.

Liver (Hepatic)
The largest and one of the most complex organs of the body, the liver is responsible for much of the metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It is the site of much of the body's detoxification. It is connected very closely with digestion and the regulation of blood sugar, among many other functions. Found behind the ribs on the right side of the abdomen, it has many important functions such as removing harmful material from the blood, making enzymes and bile that help digest food, and converting food into substances needed for life and growth. Hepatic: Pertaining to the liver.

Malaise
A vague feeling of bodily discomfort, as at the beginning of an illness. A general sense of depression or unease.

Methionine
Essential amino acid. Dietary source of sulfur and methyl groups. Important for proper growth in infants, nitrogen balance in adults, healthy nails and skin and the synthesis of taurine, cysteine, phosphatidylcholine (lecithin), bile, carnitine and endorphins. It is an antioxidant nutrient and lipotropic agent which promotes the physiological utilization of fat.

Milligram (mg, Milligrams)
0.001 or a thousandth of a gram.

Serum
The cell-free fluid of the bloodstream. It appears in a test tube after the blood clots and is often used in expressions relating to the levels of certain compounds in the blood stream.

Syndrome
A medical condition characterized by a collection of related symptoms (what the patient feels) and signs (what a doctor can observe or measure).

Tri-Methyl-Glycine (DMG, TMG)
After supplying a methyl group, TMG becomes di-methyl-glycine. DMG, a natural component of animal and plant metabolism, positively influences the immune response in laboratory animals and humans and boosts physical and mental performance.




Last updated: Nov 08, 2009


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