A significant increase in your bilirubin levels may lead to jaundice. This is a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes. In GS this is seen more in the eyes. As bilirubin levels are usually only slightly increased it is likely to take a medically trained person to observe jaundice in your skin appearance.
Jaundice may become more obvious if you become stressed, ill with an infection (particularly a viral illness), starved or dehydrated – conditions not in themselves related to the disorder. Menstruation might also be a factor in sparking off higher bilirubin levels.
While jaundice is the only recognized clinical symptom, many people with GS report a number of common symptoms or effects they attribute to the disorder. This is why they may have a blood test in the first place. Such symptoms include:
- feeling tired all the time (fatigue)
- loss of appetite
- nausea or dizziness
- abdominal pain
- irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- difficulty maintaining concentration
- very dark urine.
Such symptoms appear to occur in varying degrees (and some are common to many liver diseases). At least 30% of people with GS do not show any symptoms at all.