Primaquine is used in prevention of relapse of plasmodium vivax and ovale. It is known to cause haemolysis induced acute kidney injury in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) enzyme deficiency. Primaquine is widely used in the remote areas of Hadoti region of India by many non-registered practitioners for treatment of febrile illnesses without prior testing of G-6-PD status. Due to this practice, many patients land up with the grave consequences with significant health care burden. We report 8 such cases, which were referred to our hospital, New hospital medical college, Kota, Rajasthan, India. Our study included a series of 8 cases which were referred to our hospital with significantly deranged renal function test due to use of primaquine without prior testing of G-6-PD status. Routine blood investigations including renal function tests and G-6-PD status were measured. In our study, we found that patients with febrile illness and G-6-PD deficiency developed acute kidney injury even with a single tablet of 15 mg of primaquine. The use of even a single dose of 15 mg primaquine may not be safe in population of Hadoti region of India. Hence they should not be exposed to primaquine without prior G-6-PD testing.
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