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Dubin-Johnson syndrome Causes and Risks:
Dubin-Johnson syndrome is inherited as an autosomal recessive disorder. The transport of bilirubin from the liver into the biliary system is abnormal and the bilirubin accumulates in the liver. Affected people have life-long low-grade jaundice which may be aggravated by alcohol, pregnancy , infection, and other environmental factors.
Prevention:
Genetic counseling may be valuable for prospective parents with a family history of
Dubin-Johnson syndrome.
Symptoms:
- mild jaundice , may not appear until puberty or adulthood
Signs and Tests:
Tests to check the liver function may include:
Treatment:
No specific treatment is available.
Prognosis:
Dubin-Johnson syndrome is compatible with a normal life span.
Complications:
Complications are unusual but may include:
Call Your Healthcare Provider:
Call your health care provider if jaundice is severe, if jaundice progressively worsens, or if abdominal pain or other symptoms are also present (there may be another disorder causing the jaundice).
This person has a yellowish cast to the skin (jaundiced). (Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control.)
Jaundice results when
bilirubin, a yellowish pigment, builds up to high levels in the blood stream. Bilirubin is a breakdown product of hemoglobin, the red oxygen-carrying pigment found in red blood cells
(RBCs). The liver and biliary system are responsible for ridding the body of
bilirubin. Jaundice usually indicates liver disease or obstruction of the biliary system.
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