THE FREQUENCY OF GLUCOSES-PHOSPHATE DEHYDROGENASE DEFICIENCY IN PUNJABIS AND PATHANS

Objective: To find the frequency of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency in healthy young adult male population of various ethnic groups and sub-groups of Punjabis and Pathans.Material and Methods: This Cross-sectional comparative study in Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi, from Jan—Dec 2000. Eight hundreds apparently healthy unrelated adult males (Punjabis: 400 and Pathans: 400) were screened for G6PD deficiency by a commercial qualitative screening test kit.Result: Out of 800 subjects, 47 (5,9%) were G6PD deficient (95% CI: 4.2-7.5%). The frequency in Pathans (8.3%) was significantly higher than in Punjabis (3.5%) (p=0.006). There were also differences in the frequency of G6PD deficiency among the sub groups of Punjabis and Pathans.Conclusion: G6PD deficiency is a fairly common abnormality in Punjabis and Pathans. Such individuals are highly susceptible to develop acute haemolytic episodes by a variety of stimuli including some of the commonly used drugs.