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Background: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency has increased prevalence rates in tropical Africa, tropical and subtropical Asia and some parts of the Mediterranean. Earlier studies on G6PD deficiency in the Philippines have shown prevalence rates of 4.5% to 25.7%., Methods: In the present study, 3278 male newborns were screened for G6PD deficiency using the modified formazan method, a simple screening procedure affordable in the setting of a developing country. Subjects with positive screening results were recalled for confirmatory testing using a commercial assay kit for quantitative enzyme determination., Results: Of the 3278 boys studied, 186 revealed positive screening results. Of the 186, 65 boys had confirmatory testing. Of these 65 boys, 45 were confirmed to have G6PD deficiency and 20 had normal results. This study reveals an incidence of G6PD deficiency of 3.9% among male Filipinos., Conclusions: This study recommends the inclusion of G6PD deficiency in the panel of disorders for newborn screening among Filipino newborns.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is an X-linked red blood cell enzymopathy common in malaria endemic areas. Individuals affected by this disease show a wide variety of clinical signs of acute hemolytic anemia. Mutations of the G6PD gene in the Malay population with G6PD deficiency in Kelantan, a state in North East Malaysia were studied. Ninety-three individuals with G6PD deficiency were subjected to mutation analysis of the G6PD gene using polymerase chain reaction based techniques of multiplex PCR. Of the ninety-three DNA samples studied, molecular defects were identified in 80 cases (86%). Variants were heterogeneous - 28.7% were found to have a G to A nucleotide change at nucleotide 871 of the G6PD gene (G871A), corresponding to G6PD Viangchan. The other major mutations were G6PD Mediterranean, G6PD Vanua Lava, G6PD Coimbra, G6PD Kaiping, G6PD Orissa, G6PD Mahidol, G6PD Canton and G6PD Chatham. These results showed that there are heterogeneous mutations of the G6PD gene associated with G6PD deficiency and that G6PD Viangchan and G6PD Mediterranean account for the main variants in G6PD deficiency among the Malay population in Malaysia.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is common in malaria endemic regions and is estimated to affect more than 400 million people worldwide. Deficient subjects are mostly asymptomatic but clinical manifestations range from neonatal jaundice due to acute hemolytic anemia to chronic non-spherocytic hemolytic anemia. To date, biochemical parameters allowed more than 400 different G6PD variants to be distinguished thereby suggesting a vast genetic heterogeneity. So far, only a small portion of this heterogeneity has been confirmed at the DNA level with the identification of about 90 different point mutations in the G6PD coding sequence. To determine the molecular background of G6PD deficiency in Southeast Asian countries, we conducted molecular analyses of G6PD patients from the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia. The most prevalent mutation identified differs from country to country, thus suggesting independent mutational events of the G6PD gene.

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using multiple tandem forward primers and a common reverse primer (MPTP) was recently established as a comprehensive screening method for mutations in X-linked recessive diseases. In the work reported here, MPTP was used to scan for mutations of the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) gene. Mutations in exons 3,4,5,6,7,9, 11, and 12 of the G6PD gene were screened by MPTP in 93 unrelated Malaysian patients with G6PD deficiency. Of the 93 patients, 80 (86%) had identified mutations. Although all of these were missense mutations, identified nucleotide changes were heterogeneous, with 9 mutations involving various parts of the exons. These 9 mutations were G-to-A nucleotide changes at nucleotide 871 of the G6PD gene (G871A), corresponding to G6PD Viangchan, G6PD Mediterranean (C563T), G6PD Vanua Lava (T383C), G6PD Coimbra (C592T), G6PD Kaiping (G1388A), G6PD Orissa (C131G), G6PD Mahidol (G487A), G6PD Canton (G1376T), and G6PD Chatham (G1003A). Our results document heterogeneous mutations of the G6PD gene in the Malaysian population.