Q: I have been suffering from jaundice for a month. Initially the total serum bilirubin total was 2.2 which then increased to 9.4 and last week it came down to 1.6. My SGPT level was 129.6 and SGOT was 78.3 when last examined. The doctor I am consulting did not prescribe any medicine for the above. Last week I caught urinary tract infection for which I took 2 tablets of Uroflox-400 for 8 days. Now I am taking Cefotaxime (1 g) injections. My weight has also decreased by 8-10 kg. What other precautions do I need to take.

A:You will need to have your urine culture done to make sure that the antibiotic that you are taking for the urinary infection is the right one. For the jaundice, you do not need to do anything, except a repeat LFT in 4 weeks time to make sure that the values have returned to normal. I hope that there is no history of intravenous drug usage or sexual promiscuity or any blood transfusion in the past, because if there is then you will have to be tested for Hepatitis B and C infections as a cause of your jaundice. Otherwise this is most likely to be Hepatitis E, which does not need any further evaluation, once the LFT is back to normal.