Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency - Overview

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Alternative Names

G-6-PD deficiency; Hemolytic anemia due to G6PD deficiency; Anemia hemolytic due to G6PD deficiency
Definition of Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency:

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) deficiency is a hereditary condition in which red blood cells break down when the body is exposed to certain drugs or the stress of infection.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

G6PD deficiency occurs when a person is missing or doesn't have enough of an enzyme called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, which helps red blood cells work properly. Too little G6PD leads to the destruction of red blood cells. This process is called hemolysis. When this process is actively occurring, it is called a hemolytic episode. The episodes are usually brief, because the body continues to produce new red blood cells, which have normal activity. Red blood cell destruction can be triggered by infections, severe stress, certain foods (such as fava beans), and certain drugs, including:

Antimalarial drugs Aspirin Nitrofurantoin Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) Quinidine Quinine Sulfa drugs

Other chemicals, such as those in mothballs, can also trigger an episode. In the United States, G6PD deficiency is more common among blacks than whites. Men are more likely to have this disorder than women.

You are more likely to develop this condition if you:

Are African American Are of Middle Eastern decent, particularly Kurdish or Sephardic Jewish Are male Have a family history of the deficiency

A form of this disorder is common in whites of Mediterranean descent. This form is also associated with acute episodes of hemolysis. Episodes are longer and more severe than in the other types of the disorder.

What is glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency?

Comment on thisRead 2 CommentsShare Your Story Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency is a genetic disorder that occurs most often in males. This condition mainly affects red blood cells, which carry oxygen from the lungs to tissues throughout the body. In affected individuals, a defect in an enzyme called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase causes red blood cells to break down prematurely. This destruction of red blood cells is called hemolysis. The most common medical problem associated with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency is hemolytic anemia, which occurs when red blood cells are destroyed faster than the body can replace them. This type of anemia leads to paleness, yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), dark urine, fatigue, shortness of breath, and a rapid heart rate. In people with glucose-6dehydrogenase deficiency, hemolytic anemia is most often triggered by bacterial or viral infections or by certain drugs (such as some antibiotics and medications used to treat malaria). Hemolytic anemia can also occur after eating fava beans or inhaling pollen from fava plants (a reaction called favism). Glucose-6-dehydrogenase deficiency is also a significant cause of mild to severe jaundice in newborns. Many people with this disorder, however, never experience any signs or symptoms.