Prevalence of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in jaundiced Egyptian neonates

Background: The enzyme, Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), deficiency leads to impaired production of reduced glutathione and predisposes the red cells to be damaged by oxidative metabolites, causing hemolysis. Deficient neonates may manifest clinically as hyperbilirubinemia or even kernicterus.Objective: This study was carried out to detect erythrocyte G6PD deficiency in neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.Methods and design: To determine the frequency and effect of G6PD deficiency, this study was conducted on 202 neonates with indirect hyperbilirubinemia. All term and preterm babies up to 13day of age admitted with clinically evident jaundice were taken for the study. G6PD activity is measured by the UV-Kinetic Method using cellular enzyme determination reagents by spectrophotometry according to manufacturer's instructions.Results: A total of 202 babies were enrolled in this study. Male babies outnumbered the female (71.3% versus 28.7%). Mean age of the study newborns was 3.752.5 days. Eighteen neonates (8.9%) had G6PD deficiency, all are males. One case had combined G6PD deficiency and RH incompatibility. Mean serum total bilirubin was 17.2 +/- 4.4 in G6PD deficient cases. There was significant positive correlation between the time of appearance of jaundice in days and G6PD levels in G6PD deficient cases.Conclusion: Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is associated with various clinical comorbidities. G6PD deficiency is found to one important cause of neonatal jaundice developing on day 2 onwards.