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Rotor syndrome (RT) is a benign, inherited liver disorder characterized by chronic, predominantly conjugated, nonhemolytic hyperbilirubinemia with normal liver histology.
Features include: Skin color changes (abnormality of skin pigmentation), Conjugated hyperbilirubinemia, Bone and joint problems (abnormality of the skeletal system), and Jaundice.
Organ System | Phenotype Count | Example Features |
|---|---|---|
Skin | 1 | Skin color changes (abnormality of skin pigmentation) |
SLCO1B1 function has not been fully characterized.
Rotor syndrome is associated with mutations in the SLCO1B1 gene on chromosome 12.
SLCO1B3 function has not been fully characterized.
Rotor syndrome is associated with mutations in the SLCO1B3 gene on chromosome 12.
Suggestive Findings Rotor syndrome should be suspected in individuals with the following clinical, laboratory, and cholescintigraphy findings and family history. Clinical findings • Mild jaundice (may be intermittent) • Conjunctival icterus (in some affected individuals) • Otherwise normal physical examination Laboratory findings (See .) • Conjugated hyperbilirubinemia with serum total bilirubin concentration usually between 2 and 5 mg/dL but possibly higher. Conjugated bilirubin usually exceeds 50% of total bilirubin. • Presence of bilirubin in the urine • Absence of hemolysis* • Normal serum alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) activity* • Total urinary porphyrins: elevated coproporphyrin *Tests for hemolysis and measurements of ALT, AST, ALP, and GGT activity are needed to evaluate for hemolytic anemia and hepatobiliary diseases that are considered in the of Rotor syndrome. Cholescintigraphy findings. Radiotracers (99mTc-HIDA/99mTc-N [2,6-dimethylphenyl-carbamoylmethyl] iminodiacetic acid, 99mTc-DISIDA/disofenin, 99mTc-BrIDA/mebrofenin) are taken up slowly by the liver and the liver is scarcely visualized; however, the cardiac blood pool is persistently visualized, with prominent excretion by the kidneys. Family history is consistent with autosomal recessive inheritance (e.g., affected sibs and/or parental consanguinity). Absence of a known family history does not preclude the diagnosis. Table 1. Laboratory Findings in Rotor Syndrome
No approved treatments are currently available for Rotor syndrome. The disease remains an area of unmet medical need.
No clinical practice guidelines for Rotor syndrome have been published as no treatment or surveillance is recommended.
In most instances an individual diagnosed with Rotor syndrome is the child of a consanguineous couple. In some centers, identification of consanguinity may be an indication for consultation with a clinical geneticist, certified genetic counselor, certified genetic nurse, or genetics advanced practice provider (nurse practitioner or physician assistant).
Estimated prevalence: <1 in 1,000,000 (VERY_RARE).
No clinical trials have been registered for Rotor syndrome.
72 publications have been identified in PubMed for Rotor syndrome. Research spans Case Report / Case Series (57%), Review / Meta-Analysis (11%), and Epidemiology / Natural History (11%).
Research Type | Count | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
Patient case studies | 41 | 57% |
Data assembled from 7 of 12 sources · Last updated Sep 20, 2026, 3:00 PM UTC
Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man
European rare disease database
Genetic and Rare Diseases Info Center
Common questions about Rotor syndrome
1 |
Conjugated hyperbilirubinemia |
Bones and joints | 1 | Bone and joint problems (abnormality of the skeletal system) |
Digestive system | 1 | Jaundice |
The only clinical feature of Rotor syndrome is mild jaundice due to conjugated and unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia that usually begins shortly after birth or in childhood. Jaundice may be intermittent. Conjunctival icterus may be the only clinical manifestation.
Source: GeneReviews — "Rotor Syndrome"
Hyperbilirubinemia develops only in persons with biallelic inactivating pathogenic variants in both SLCO1B1 and SLCO1B3 . Presence of at least one wild type (functional) allele of either SLCO1B1 or SLCO1B3 prevents Rotor-type hyperbilirubinemia. A combination of a variant that results in reduced activity in one allele of either SLCO1B1 or SLCO1B3 with deleterious variants affecting the remaining three alleles has not been documented.
Source: GeneReviews — "Rotor Syndrome"
Laboratory Finding | Rotor Syndrome | Normal |
|---|---|---|
Total bilirubin | 2-5 mg/dL1 | 0.3-1.0 mg/dL2 |
Conjugated:total bilirubin ratio | 50% | 20% |
Liver enzymes | Normal | Normal |
Hemolysis | None | None Urine |
Bilirubin | Present | Not detected |
Coproporphyrins | 2.5-5x normal3 | 1. Rarely, levels exceeding 20 mg/dL are possible . For total and direct bilirubin in persons older than age one year. Note: Although normal levels of total and direct bilirubin may be higher in the neonatal period and infancy, Rotor syndrome is not usually diagnosed in this age group. |
Source: GeneReviews — "Rotor Syndrome"
Inherited disorders of bilirubin clearance can present with either conjugated or unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia. Dubin-Johnson syndrome, a benign conjugated hyperbilirubinemia similar to Rotor syndrome, is caused by decreased secretion of conjugated bilirubin into bile. Defects in bilirubin conjugation resulting in increased levels of unconjugated bilirubin are represented by Gilbert syndrome, Crigler-Najjar syndrome type II, and Crigler-Najjar syndrome type I (a rare, severe, life-threatening disease associated with kernicterus typically manifesting within the first days after birth). Since Rotor syndrome is usually diagnosed after the neonatal period, only benign forms of genetic jaundice are included in the differential diagnosis .
Table 3.
Source: GeneReviews — "Rotor Syndrome"
Genetic testing for SLCO1B1, SLCO1B3 is available. Testing is considered confirmatory for diagnosis.
Biomarker and diagnostic research for Rotor syndrome has been reported in the published literature.
No treatment is required.
No adverse drug effects have been documented in Rotor syndrome; however, the absence of the hepatic proteins SLCO1B1 and SLCO1B3 may have serious consequences for liver uptake and toxicity of numerous commonly used drugs and/or their metabolites, which enter the liver via either of the two OATP1B transporters. A list of drugs that enter the liver mainly via SLCO1B1 and whose pharmacokinetics are known to be influenced by genetic variability in SLCO1B1 or inhibition of SLCO1B1/3 has been published . Some of these drugs are also taken up by SLCO1B3 .
Source: GeneReviews — "Rotor Syndrome"
No adverse drug effects have been documented in Rotor syndrome; however, the absence of the hepatic proteins SLCO1B1 and SLCO1B3 may have serious consequences for liver uptake and toxicity of numerous commonly used drugs and/or their metabolites, which enter the liver via either of the two OATP1B transporters. A list of drugs that enter the liver mainly via SLCO1B1 and whose pharmacokinetics are known to be influenced by genetic variability in SLCO1B1 or inhibition of SLCO1B1/3 has been published . Some of these drugs are also taken up by SLCO1B3 .
Statins – simvastatin, atorvastatin, pravastatin, pitavastatin, rosuvastatin
Ezetimibe
Anticancer drugs – methotrexate and irinotecan, cabazitaxel, some tyrosine kinase inhibitors (e.g., sunitinib)
Sartans – olmesartan and valsartan
Rifampicin
Mycophenolic acid
Torsemide
Thiazolidine diones – pioglitazone and rosiglitazone
Glinides – nateglinide and repaglinide
Lopinavir
Fexofenadine
Cyclosporin A
Source: GeneReviews — "Rotor Syndrome"
Search ClinicalTrials.gov in the US and EU Clinical Trials Register in Europe for information on clinical studies for a wide range of diseases and conditions. Note: There may not be clinical trials for this disorder.
Source: GeneReviews — "Rotor Syndrome"
View trials for Rotor syndrome
8 |
11% |
Disease patterns and progression | 8 | 11% |
Testing and diagnosis research | 6 | 8% |
Other research | 4 | 6% |
Laboratory research | 3 | 4% |
Clinical study results | 1 | 1% |
New treatment approaches | 1 | 1% |
Sayin AZ (2026). [PMID: 41543361](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41543361/). *CPT: pharmacometrics & systems pharmacology*. [Case Report / Case Series]
Paudel P (2026). [PMID: 41522538](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41522538/). *Indian journal of hematology & blood transfusion : an official journal of Indian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion*. [Diagnostic / Biomarker]
Rostomova N (2026). [PMID: 42107946](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42107946/). *Georgian Med News*. [Clinical Trial Publication]
Mo Y (2026). [PMID: 41834204](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41834204/). *Zhonghua Er Ke Za Zhi*. [Diagnostic / Biomarker]
Hou W (2026). [PMID: 41629080](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41629080/). *Zhonghua gan zang bing za zhi = Zhonghua ganzangbing zazhi = Chinese journal of hepatology*. [Case Report / Case Series]
Komvilaisak P (2026). [PMID: 41840148](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41840148/). *J Perinatol*. [Epidemiology / Natural History]
Zheng S (2026). [PMID: 41659992](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41659992/). *Journal of clinical and translational hepatology*. [Review / Meta-Analysis]
Yu H (2026). [PMID: 41592663](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41592663/). *Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry*. [Case Report / Case Series]
Ajani T (2026). [PMID: 41873646](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41873646/). *J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep*. [Case Report / Case Series]
Kim HJ (2026). [PMID: 42148170](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42148170/). *Pediatr Gastroenterol Hepatol Nutr*. [Diagnostic / Biomarker]