Patient discussions
Patient education is important. There are no dietary or activity restrictions. Patients must be informed that they may become jaundiced when under increased stress, such as fasting, dehydration, sleep deprivation, heavy physical exertion, surgery or concurrent illness, menstruation, or psychological stress.[1] They should be reminded that reversing the inciting agent is all that is necessary to treat the hyperbilirubinaemia. Medical follow-up and drug therapy are unnecessary.
However, patients should be advised to seek medical care if they have a prolonged or severe episode of jaundice or associated symptoms such as fever, severe abdominal pain, or change in stool color, as supervenient conditions may require investigation and specific treatment.
Patients should be encouraged to tell their doctor they have GS if a new medication is planned. There is a concern that suboptimal glucuronidation in drug metabolism may lead to accumulation of toxic drug metabolites, particularly during treatment with certain drugs (e.g., irinotecan, sorafenib, atazanavir, tocilizumab).[14][26][27]
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