G6PD Deficiency, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Treatment And Related Conditions

G6PD is an enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase
Lack of this enzyme can cause the red blood cells to hemolyze
G6PD Deficiency major which is a serious illness
Loss of blood may cause hemolytic anemia sickness

G6PD Deficiency is an inherited sex linked disease
Male patients are more common than female and not related to age
Red blood cells may burst when certain food, herbs or medicines are taken.
Medicines such as anti-malaria drugs and certain food such as fava beans

It is a lifelong disease and there is no cure for it
Symptoms may be due to anemia such as fatigue
There is pallor, mild jaundice and dark colored urine
There may shortness of breath or fast breathing

Prevention of G6PD Deficiency is as important as treatment.
Folic acid is use for G6PD deficient patient supplement
Diagnosis of G6PD Deficiency is check the G6PD enzyme level
Avoid triggers such as five beans, sulphonamides and antimalarials

-An original poem by Kenneth Kee

G6PD Deficiency

The reason why I have wrote about G6PD deficiency is because I have a patient about 30 years ago.

He was only 3 years old when he started vomiting in the evening and began to pass dark tea colored urine which becomes redder as the night passed.

The parents called me early in the morning because of his condition.

I quickly made an appointment for him to see Prof. Wong Hock Boon who was the expert on G6PD deficiency and was the one who introduce screening of babies through their placental blood for G6PD deficiency in 1970.

The child was confirmed as G6PD deficient through a blood test which was examined by Prof. Wong himself.

The mother was found to be a carrier of the G6PD gene.

The 2 older sisters and father were found to be all normal.

Due to his low hemoglobin of 4 (normal is 13.5 to 17.5), he was admitted and given 2 packets of blood transfusion .

Within one day he recovered and was kept in the hospital for another 2 days until his hemoglobin was more than 10mg%.

He was given a list of drugs, herbs and fava beans and moth balls to avoid.

In fact the trigger in his case was fava beans given to him to eat by his older sisters.

The problem was that his obstetrician had received a report from his pediatrician that his G6PD was normal.

The mystery was solved when the obstetrician managed to find the original laboratory report which showed that his blood showed G6PD deficiency.

The pediatrician was called up by the obstetrician to explain why he wrote that the child was G6PD normal when the result very clearly showed that the child was confirmed to be G6PD deficient.

The pediatrician was made to apologise to the parents of the child.

It was all the carelessness of the pediatrician which did not check the laboratory report and told the obstetrician that the child was G6PD normal.

It is one of the most dangerous medical error done by a doctor because the parents thought that their son was normal and that led to his hemolytic anemia.

Luckily for the pediatrician the parents did not sue him.

G6PD Deficiency is an inherited disorder of the Red blood cells which has a lack of the G6PD enzyme.

This causes the red blood cells to burst in certain circumstances when certain food, herbs or medicines are taken.