Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is an X-linked disorder which causes neonatal jaundice in most cases, and in association with intake of drugs or certain foods (for example fava) can cause haemolytic crises. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of G6PD deficiency in Rio Grande do Sul (RS), the southernmost state of Brazil. We tested 2799 newborn blood samples. A commercial kit was used for the quantitative measurement of G6PD activity. Of the 2799 samples, 39 (1.4%) exhibited total deficiency, 178 (6.4%) exhibited intermediate deficiency and 2582 (92.2%) were normal. We found no correlation between G6PD deficiency and ethnic origin, but a high prevalence of patients with partial deficiency could be associated with the type of colonization of RS. The combined prevalence for both types of deficiency (complete and partial) was 7.9% among the newborn population. This finding is important as both types of deficiency must receive same kind of preventive care.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.