Increased bilirubin

Re: bilirubin

As a teenager I had high bilirubin - my Dr at the time said it was
Gilbert’s Syndrome.
The whites of my eyes had a yellow tinge
After treating Lyme and CO’s -
My eyes are white.

I think I had Bartonella as a child - had a lot of cats/scratches…

Girlie - Thanks for sharing, glad to hear it cleared up for you! I was remembering times when I was a teenager and I mentioned to my doctor that my eyes looked yellow. Everyone always dismissed me (shocker). I always had normal blood test results so I have no idea. Maybe they told me it was normal and ignored it.

SJ - Thank you, I'm sure my doctor will run some follow ups. Gilbert's syndrome is certainly a consideration. I suppose I was just curious in the context of bartonella, especially with previous normal bilirubin tests and the understanding that it can impact liver function, if others had seen it increase and then normalize with treatment.

ref bilirubin

high bilirubin is not necessarily only due to Gilberts syndrome - although that is pretty common - in approx 1 in 20 of the population

however it would typically always be moderately raised to some degree with that condition

sudden increases or fluctuating levels over time are more likely linked to some other cause

anything which causes increased breakdown of red blood cells will drive bilirubin higher - since it is the normal by product of the liver breaking down the red pigment in the red blood cells

red blood cell infiltrating infections such as Bartonella, Babesia are one such cause - especially if the high readings are episodic - rather than constant
but also hemolytic anemia ( which can be cyclical and caused by the above - but also by other mechanisms )
auto-immune reactions to red blood cells or molecules on them can also cause this

ref raised liver enzymes
there are many causes of this too
but moderately raised levels are common in Bartonella and lyme patients - with or without medications

many abx raise liver enzymes over time - especially in people with lyme and co's who are likley to have sub-optimal liver function - and especially if doses are high - rifampicin is known to - macrolides also - esp if in high doses.

see also the thread on here where a case study highlights Bart is associated with Primary Sclerosing Cholesitis - an autoimmune disease of the bile ducts that causes raised liver enzymes

bart is also known to cause a condition where blood filled spaces appear in the liver tissue - and can be detected via ultrasound in severe cases - again liver enzymes will be raised to some degree

most herbs are less prone to raise liver enzymes - with a few exceptions - typically only if used in high doses longer term -

to share personal experiences - i am prone to raised liver enzymes and pain in the liver area - but i have used pretty much all of Buhner's herbs long term - the only found / suspected one of raising my liver enzymes further, where testing showed raises in line with dose increases, which was Chinese skullcap - and only then when in high doses for several weeks - this was at 16ml of tincture per day - which is above recommended long term doses. even then other changes were unavoidable in that timeframe - so it could still have been something else.

Garzie put it well.

I would add - glucuronidation pathway can also play a role. I was listening to a podcast on detox pathways and the lady spoke on how she believes the idea of Gilbert’s syndrome being rather benign isn’t so true, and often suggests a poor glucuronidation pathway - backing what I’ve heard from a few docs that’s people with gilberts are poor detoxers.

I too was told I had Gilbert’s based on elevated bilirubin pre current health challenges.

Something to keep in mind with Gilbert's syndrome is for some its very minor and your generally in range in blood tests. For some its much more evident and you end up with yellow eyes. I never had elevated bilirubin through probably 20 blood tests over 10 years. It wasnt until I went on a keto diet that I noticed it elevated still ignored though it was just a point or two elevated. The final straw was my surgery when I basically would have been in ketosis for weeks as I could not process food and had blood draws every day practically. Every blood draw it was elevated. Its now back to a normal level and has never been elevated again.

Anyways my point is not having it ever show up earlier in life is a real possibility.