Gilberts Disease - What You Need to Know

While you may never have heard of Gilberts disease, this is a problem that actually affects at least 5% of people in the world today. The problem is one that is inherited and it leads to too much bilirubin in the blood stream. The reason that Gilberts disease occurs is because there is a reduction in the activity of specific enzymes within the body and the disease is linked to a specific gene as well. So, here is some more information on this little known disease that you definitely need to know.

Symptoms and SignsThere are several different symptoms of Gilberts disease that may be displayed by people that have it. Probably the most common symptom that is linked to this disease is jaundice. This occurs because of the high amounts of bilirubin that is in the blood and when people are dealing with infections, exertion, stress, or even fasting, they may start showing some signs of jaundice. When some drugs are given to people with this problem, they can cause different reactions and the body may try to purge them out by diarrhea. Also, in some cases, doctors believe that people who are dealing with this disease may actually have a reduced risk of dealing with ischemic heart disease problems, since bilirubin is actually an antioxidant.

How It's DiagnosedThere are a variety of different ways that Gilberts disease can be diagnosed. While you will find that this problem is really quite harmless, it is important that there is a diagnosis, since it is often confused with other liver problems that can be very dangerous. Blood tests may be taken and ultrasounds may be done to help to rule out other more serious problems, such as hepatitis, cholestasis, and Crigler-Najjar syndrome.

So, you'll usually find that people do not need treatment for Gilberts disease since it is a problem that is usually not dangerous as well. Also, there are no complications to worry about either with this problem as a general rule. In some cases, this disease can actually be helpful, since bilirubin is such a great antioxidant and can provide the body with so many different benefits today. Some researches have found that people with this problem are a lot less likely to end up dealing with heart attacks and in some cases it may help to lower bad cholesterol and can turn it into good cholesterol, which is great for heart health.

Balva Rudick is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit - www.articleclick.com

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