4. SLIGHT DISCOMFORT IN THE ABDOMINAL AREA
Individuals with Gilbert’s syndrome condition may experience some abdominal discomforts or common digestive disorder that causes stomach cramps and bloating. Most stomach aches are nothing serious and will go away after a few days. During stomach ache, bilirubin is elevated. These abdominal discomforts may occur secondary to other symptoms of Gilbert’s syndrome-like diarrhea or constipation. Since it is said that in Gilbert’s syndrome, the gene causes hyperbilirubinemia or elevated blood levels of bilirubin.
This happens because of reduced activity by the enzyme glucuronyltransferase, which conjugates, or converts, bilirubin to a water-soluble form after it is released from red blood cells at the end of their 120-day lifespan. When the bilirubin becomes water-soluble, the body excretes it in the bile into the duodenum and eventually out of the body in the stool. Therefore, proper and regular bowel movement of the person may minimize if not totally eliminate the experience of abdominal disorders. Proper hydration of the body is correlated to this condition.