Bachelor Joey Graziadei opens up about being diagnosed with Gilbert syndrome
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‘I am healthy’ Joey Graziadei is speaking up about his medical background after receiving many comments regarding the yellowish tinge in the whites of his eyes.
In an Instagram video uploaded on his account on Thursday, the current Bachelor, 28, stated that during high school, he was diagnosed with Gilbert (pronounced zheel-BAYR) syndrome. According to the Mayo Clinic, it’s a common, benign liver disorder that alters the way the body processes bilirubin, a yellowish material that’s formed during the body’s regular breakdown of old red blood cells.
The illness doesn’t generally require treatment and sometimes leads to a faint yellowish tinge—or jaundice—of the skin and the whites of the eyes.
“Hi everyone, I hope you are having a lovely day,” stated Graziadei at the outset of his video. “I wanted to jump on here really quick and talk about something that I’m seeing a lot of comments about, which is Joey’s yellow eyes.”
“So to offer some background on that,” He added, “I have to go all the way back to when I was in high school. I was unwell for approximately a week and a half, and my mom thought it would be a good idea to go to the doctor.”
The bachelor went on to say that during the visit, blood tests revealed a relatively high bilirubin count, indicating probable concerns with his liver. He underwent ultrasound examinations and consulted other medical doctors. “They found out that there was nothing necessarily wrong, like hepatitis,” he claimed, “but they diagnosed me with something called Gilbert syndrome.”
“At the end of the day, I am told that I am healthy,” he added. “It’s something that does impact the whites of my eyes, giving them that jaundiced appearance. It’s something I wish to pay more for.
What is Gilbert syndrome?
Gilbert syndrome is a common hereditary disorder that hinders the liver from correctly processing bilirubin, which is created by the breakdown of red blood cells.
The harmless genetic illness is commonly discovered by mistake when blood tests suggest a spike in bilirubin levels, according to the Mayo Clinic. Gilbert syndrome does not require treatment.
Around 3% to 7% of Americans have Gilbert’s syndrome, and the disorder is more common in males than females, the Cleveland Clinic reported. Only one in three people with the disease develops any symptoms.
How does Gilbert syndrome affect eye colour
Gilbert’s syndrome can cause the occasional yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes due to too much buildup of bilirubin in the blood, according to the Cleveland Clinic. This side effect is not hazardous.
Gilbert syndrome symptoms
Symptoms of Gilbert syndrome include the “occasional yellowish tinge of the skin and the whites of the eyes,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
Other typical signs of the increase in bilirubin levels for patients with Gilbert syndrome include:
• Dehydration
• Illness, like the cold or the flu
• Fasting or a low-calorie diet
• Menstruation
• Stress
• Strenuous exercise
