Does G6PD deficiency cause anemia?
It is when the body doesn’t have enough of an enzyme called G6PD (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase). This enzyme helps red blood cells work correctly. A lack of this enzyme can cause hemolytic anemia. This is when the red blood cells break down faster than they are made.
Is G6PD deficiency normal?
G6PD deficiency is the most common enzyme deficiency in humans, affecting about 400 million people worldwide, with a high prevalence in persons of African, Asian, and Mediterranean descent. It is inherited as an X-linked recessive disorder, and thus most often affects males.
What infection triggers G6PD?
It has also been demonstrated that infections caused by certain viruses, such as hepatitis viruses (A, B, and E) and cytomegalovirus, were associated with hemolytic anemia in patients with G6PD deficiency [8,9].
Does G6PD make you tired?
Without enough G6PD to protect them, the red blood cells break apart. This is called hemolysis (hih-MOL-ih-sis). When many red blood cells are destroyed, a person can develop hemolytic (hee-meh-LIH-tik) anemia. This can cause tiredness, dizziness, and other symptoms.
Why is it important to know if your patient is G6PD deficiency?
G6PD helps red blood cells work. It also protects them from substances in the blood that could harm them. In people with G6PD deficiency, either the red blood cells do not make enough G6PD or what they do make doesn’t work as it should. Without enough G6PD to protect them, the red blood cells break apart.
Is G6PD permanent?
There is no cure for G6PD deficiency, and it is a lifelong condition. However, most people with G6PD deficiency have a completely normal life as long as they avoid the triggers.
What happens when G6PD is triggered?
Red blood cells that don’t have enough G6PD are sensitive to some medicines, foods, and infections. When these things trigger a quick loss of red blood cells over a short time, it’s called a hemolytic crisis. In these cases, the symptoms stop when the cause is gone.