Feigning Illness to Gain Sympathy and Attention: Hello Baron M
Recently I’ve noticed something about a fan that I honestly don’t follow either here on LJ or on Twitter that I think is “pullin a few legs”. I have noticed a few replies to a comment of theirs from people that I do follow. I’ve met people like this before. Some are pretty harmless but well one in particular for me in the past caused me an terrible amount of pain, and the loss of some friends once I found out what was really going on. So, at the risk of pissing someone off I’m gonna share a few bits of information. I prefer someone being angry with me instead of seeing the people that I care about being used or misled. I’m not mentioning names but will be providing a little bit of information that is easily researched on your own in order to make your own decision.
Hyperbilirubinemia is an accumulation of bilirubin in the blood stream. Most people know it as jaundice or yellowing of the sclera of the eye or of the skin. Bilirubin accumulation itself is not a life threatening issue. Mostly it is an indicator of an underlying condition, normally abnormal liver function. In severe cases it is used as an indicator of liver disease or damage. However, there are several situations where it is ENTIRELY BENIGN or is NOT the result of liver damage or liver disease NOR DOES IT CAUSE LIVER DAMAGE.
One artificial means of causing jaundice is to abuse Niacin or vitamin B. Excessive levels of Niacin can cause niacin poisoning which interferes with liver function but is not life threatening if niacin levels are brought back down. Normally by the patient not taking sooo much Niacin anymore and drinking lots of water to flush the system.
One particular benign genetic disorder, is Gilbert Syndrome (GS). In fact it is being debated in the medical community that GS NOT be classified as a disease due to complete lack of harmful byproducts resulting in little or no symptoms other than yellowish appearance. If an individual has Gilbert Syndrome they will experience an increase in bilirubin as a result of stress, increased exercise or illness. This accumulation in bilirubin has no known harmful effects. In fact it was found that people with Gilbert Syndrome have a 30% decrease in the incidence of cardiovascular disease. This has led to proposals to artificially elevate bilirubin as a treatment for cardiovascular disease. Seriously!
The only incidence that I could find that GS could be considered harmful is in newborns who have another rare genetic disorder. This particular second disorder would result in a highly elevated level of bilirubin at birth, higher than normal levels observed at birth, that could cause neurological damage (NOT LIVER DAMAGE) if not treated. I think many mothers know that the UV light is used on their newborns to help with the normally high levels of bilirubin in their new wee ones. There is one catch with this other disorder that is necessary to make GS a potential problem. It is X-linked and historically and by design of nature, has only shown any symptoms in MALES! So if you also happen to have this second disorder and you are a female, you still WILL NOT have any symptoms except in astronomically rare circumstances since GS only occurs at a 5% rate and the second disorder only occurs at an incidence of more than 1% in areas like Africa, the Middle East and South China but is almost non-existent in European countries. Although someone has to win the lottery, it is incredibly rare.
There are instances where hyperbilirubinemia is harmful but Gilbert Syndrome is not one of them.
Now I know that this is a journal community where people share their thoughts, emotions, feelings, tribes and tribulations. I’m not talking about people like that. I know that this is the place to do that and I hope there is no misunderstanding. I encourage people who need love, support and understanding to please use your journal to hash it out and get attention. I think you need it and I want to give you my support.
Also I do admit that there is a chance however slim that I could be wrong. If I am I apologize.
Edit: the Baron M I refer to above comes from the naming of Münchausen syndrome after Baron Munchausen who was believed to have the same predisposition to claim illness or fantastic fictitious stories to gain attention and sympathy.
Hyperbilirubinemia is an accumulation of bilirubin in the blood stream. Most people know it as jaundice or yellowing of the sclera of the eye or of the skin. Bilirubin accumulation itself is not a life threatening issue. Mostly it is an indicator of an underlying condition, normally abnormal liver function. In severe cases it is used as an indicator of liver disease or damage. However, there are several situations where it is ENTIRELY BENIGN or is NOT the result of liver damage or liver disease NOR DOES IT CAUSE LIVER DAMAGE.
One artificial means of causing jaundice is to abuse Niacin or vitamin B. Excessive levels of Niacin can cause niacin poisoning which interferes with liver function but is not life threatening if niacin levels are brought back down. Normally by the patient not taking sooo much Niacin anymore and drinking lots of water to flush the system.
One particular benign genetic disorder, is Gilbert Syndrome (GS). In fact it is being debated in the medical community that GS NOT be classified as a disease due to complete lack of harmful byproducts resulting in little or no symptoms other than yellowish appearance. If an individual has Gilbert Syndrome they will experience an increase in bilirubin as a result of stress, increased exercise or illness. This accumulation in bilirubin has no known harmful effects. In fact it was found that people with Gilbert Syndrome have a 30% decrease in the incidence of cardiovascular disease. This has led to proposals to artificially elevate bilirubin as a treatment for cardiovascular disease. Seriously!
The only incidence that I could find that GS could be considered harmful is in newborns who have another rare genetic disorder. This particular second disorder would result in a highly elevated level of bilirubin at birth, higher than normal levels observed at birth, that could cause neurological damage (NOT LIVER DAMAGE) if not treated. I think many mothers know that the UV light is used on their newborns to help with the normally high levels of bilirubin in their new wee ones. There is one catch with this other disorder that is necessary to make GS a potential problem. It is X-linked and historically and by design of nature, has only shown any symptoms in MALES! So if you also happen to have this second disorder and you are a female, you still WILL NOT have any symptoms except in astronomically rare circumstances since GS only occurs at a 5% rate and the second disorder only occurs at an incidence of more than 1% in areas like Africa, the Middle East and South China but is almost non-existent in European countries. Although someone has to win the lottery, it is incredibly rare.
There are instances where hyperbilirubinemia is harmful but Gilbert Syndrome is not one of them.
Now I know that this is a journal community where people share their thoughts, emotions, feelings, tribes and tribulations. I’m not talking about people like that. I know that this is the place to do that and I hope there is no misunderstanding. I encourage people who need love, support and understanding to please use your journal to hash it out and get attention. I think you need it and I want to give you my support.
Also I do admit that there is a chance however slim that I could be wrong. If I am I apologize.
Edit: the Baron M I refer to above comes from the naming of Münchausen syndrome after Baron Munchausen who was believed to have the same predisposition to claim illness or fantastic fictitious stories to gain attention and sympathy.