Prevalence and Ethnic Variability of G6PD Deficiency Among Newborns in the Northern Emirates: A Three-Year Retrospective Study at Thumbay Hospitals, Ajman, UAE
Abstract
SUMMARY
BACKGROUND
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is one of the most common enzymatic inherited red cell disorder. This study investigated the prevalence and distribution of G6PD deficiency among newborns in Thumbay hospital and other health care facilities across the Northern Emirates in United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Methods
This was a retrospective cross-sectional study focusing on data of newborns screened for G6PD levels over three years (2020–2022) at Thumbay Laboratory, Ajman.
Resutls
New-borns from Southern Asia exhibited the highest prevalence of G6PD deficiency, with 88 cases (40.3%) out of 3,921 newborns. Western Asia also showed significant prevalence with 75 cases (34.4%) among 729 new-borns. Conversely, regions like Eastern Asia and Europe/America reported negligible or no cases.
Conclusion
The findings of this study indicate a high prevalence of G6PD deficiency in newborns born in the Northern Emirate of the UAE, particularly those from Southern and Western Asia, with Southern Asia showing the highest rate. Males had lower G6PD levels as compared to females, though these differences were not statistically significant
Downloads
Metrics
References
Luzzatto L, Nannelli C, Notaro R. Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2016;30:373–93. PMID: 27040960
Alangari AS, El-Metwally AA, Alanazi A, et al. Epidemiology of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in Arab Countries: insights from a systematic review. J Clin Med. 2023;12:1–12. PMID: 37892786
Luzzatto L, Ally M, Notaro R. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. Blood. 2020;136:1225–40. PMID: 32702756
Harcke SJ, Rizzolo D, Harcke HT. G6PD deficiency: An update. JAAPA. United States; 2019;32:21–6. PMID: 31609781
Alving AS, Carson PE, Flanagan CL, Ickes CE. Enzymatic deficiency in primaquine-sensitive erythrocytes. Science. United States; 1956;124:484–5. PMID: 13360274
Mason PJ, Bautista JM, Gilsanz F. G6PD deficiency: the genotype-phenotype association. Blood Rev. England; 2007;21:267–83. PMID: 17611006
Frank JE. Diagnosis and management of G6PD deficiency. Am Fam Physician. 2005;72:1277–82. PMID: 16225031
Al-Riyami A, Ebrahim GJ. Genetic blood disorders survey in the Sultanate of Oman. J Trop Pediatr. 2003;49:i1-20. PMID: 12934793
Daar S, Vulliamy TJ, Kaeda J, Mason PJ, Luzzatto L. Molecular characterization of G6PD deficiency in Oman. Hum Hered. 1996;46:172–6. PMID: 8860013
Bayoumi RA, Nur-E-Kamal MSA, Tadayyon M, et al. Molecular characterization of erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in Al-Ain district, United Arab Emirates. Hum Hered. 1996;46:136–41. PMID: 8860007
Anvery S. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in Abu Dhabi. Emirates Med J. 1980;1:24–6. https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/full/10.5555/19822900248
Amro SA Bin, Al Zaabi E, Hussain S, et al. Molecular characterization of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in Abu Dhabi District, United Arab Emirates. Trop J Pharm Res. 2014;15:731–7. http://www.bioline.org.br/pdf?pr14104
Bhagwat G, Bapat J. Glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency in Bahrain Blood Donors. Bah Med Bull. 1987;9:120–2. https://www.bahrainmedicalbulletin.com/Dec_1987/Glucose-6-Phosphate.pdf
Angastiniotis M, Modell B, Englezos P, Boulyjenkov V. Prevention and control of haemoglobinopathies. Bull World Health Organ. 1995;73:375–386. PMID: 7614670
Mohammad AM, Ardatl KO, Bajakian KM. Sickle cell disease in Bahrain: Coexistence and interaction with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. J Trop Pediatr. 1998;44:70–2. PMID: 9604591
Dash S. Hemoglobinopathies, G6PD deficiency, and hereditary elliptocytosis in Bahrain. Hum Biol. 2004;76:779–83. PMID: 15757247
Al Arrayed S. Campaign to control genetic blood diseases in Bahrain. Community Genet. 2005;8:52–5. PMID: 15767757
White JM, Byrne M, Richards R, Buchanan T, Katsoulis E, Weerasingh K. Red cell genetic abnormalities in Peninsular Arabs: Sickle haemoglobin, G6PD deficiency, and α and β thalassaemia. J Med Genet. 1986;23:245–51. PMID: 3723553
Warsy AS, El-Hazmi MAF. G6PD deficiency, distribution and variants in Saudi Arabia: An overview. Ann Saudi Med. 2001;21:174–7. PMID: 17264545
Albagshi M, Alomran S, Sloma S, Albagshi M, Alsuweel A, AlKhalaf H. Prevalence of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency Among Children in Eastern Saudi Arabia. Cureus. 2020;12:e11235. PMID: 33269163
Saleh Elhalik M. Incidence of G6PD deficiency among neonates with hyperbilirubinemia requiring phototherapy at postnatal wards of a tertiary care perinatal center, Dubai, UAE: A longitudinal cross-sectional study. J Pediatr Neonatal Care. 2020;10:134–7. https://medcraveonline.com/JPNC/JPNC-10-00425.pdf
AlSaif S, Ponferrada MB, AlKhairy K, et al. Screening for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in neonates: A comparison between cord and peripheral blood samples. BMC Pediatr. BMC Pediatrics; 2017;17:1–6. PMID: 28693459
AlShomar A, Sula I, Al Abdulmonem W, Saquib N. Evaluation of the prevalence of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in Al-Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Egypt J Intern Med. 2023;35:0–4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43162-023-00255-8
Al-Bedaywi RRR, Salameh KMK, Abedin S, Viswanathan B, Khedr AA, Habboub LHM. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency and neonatal indirect hyperbilirubinemia: a retrospective cohort study among 40,305 consecutively born babies. J Perinatol. 2024;1–7. PMID: 38480787
Elella SA, Tawfik M, Barseem N, Moustafa W. Prevalence of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in neonates in Egypt. Ann Saudi Med. 2017;37:362–5. PMID: 28988250
El Fotoh WM, Rizk MS. Prevalence of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in jaundiced Egyptian neonates. J Matern neonatal Med. 2016;29:3834–7. PMID: 26866975
Iranpour R, Hashemipour M, Talaei S-M, Soroshnia M, Amini A. Newborn screening for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in Isfahan, Iran: a quantitative assay. J Med Screen. England; 2008;15:62–4. PMID: 18573772.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Ayman H. Alfeel, Hussam A. Osman, Tagwa Y. E. Yousif, Abdulrahman Algarni , Muhammad Saboor, Salah E. O. Hussein
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
