Gilbert's syndrome is a common
disorder, it effects roughly 5-6% of the population. It causes your liver to take issue with the production of
bilirubin (the pigment found in
bile), causing either excess or inadequate amounts of the substance to be present in the
bloodstream.
In the case of excess production, which happens to be the most common, the skin tends to become
jaundiced (it turns somewhat yellow). In the case of inadequate production, very little happens at all, and is almost never diagnosed.
Liver function stays normal throughout. In fact, Gilbert's syndrome does very little of anything, and is usually diagnosed due to tests for
hepatitus, ordered when
jaundiced skin is observed. In some cases Gilbert's syndrome has also been known to
exaggerate the effects of infection, usually by adding to levels of fatigue, and occasionally causing muscle (usually
abdominal) pain.