Is Increased Bilirubin in My Blood Causing Hair Loss?

Hello,

I’m a 30 year old male, and about 10-12 months ago started going through some various minor illness problems that lasted around 2-3 months total – things like a sinus infection, fatigue, aches, abdominal pains, nausea, etc. I’ve previously never really been ill, and always had (overly) thick hair.

I was finally diagnosed with Gilbert’s Syndrome – though whether this was related to my problems (or even accurate) I don’t know. Then, around 6 months ago, I noticed hairs falling out, say around 5-10 and up to 15-20 each time I washed or styled my hair. At first it didn’t worry me, but I’ve recently noticed that my hair is now a lot thinner, especially from the centre of my head to the front hairline. My scalp also seems to itch a fair amount in roughly the same area.

Am I just getting old and hitting a standard balding pattern, or could the increased bilirubin in my blood be a contributory factor? Either way, is there anything that can help (preferably avoiding prescription drugs, but I’m open to all suggestions)?

If there is any liver disease associated with Gilbert’s syndrome, then you will metabolize many hormones slowly (like DHT) which could cause them to have a higher blood level. I did see one report of someone with this syndrome getting a great response to finasteride. Finasteride is a prescription drug, though.