Prevalences of thalassemia/hemoglobinopathies and G-6-PD deficiency in malaria patients.

It seems that thalassemia and/or hemoglobinopathies and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G-6-PD) have some protective effects against malaria infection. To verify this, hemoglobin typing and methehoglobin reduction test were performed on 115 malaria patients and compared with controls. It was found that the number of thalassemia/hemoglobinopathies in the malaria group and in the control group were not significantly different and also occurrence of G-6-PD deficiency in the malaria group was not different from that of the controls. Clinical manifestations of malaria in any group are quite similar. It is concluded that there is no protective effect against malaria in thalassemia/hemoglobinopathies or G-6-PD deficiency.

Hereditary coproporphyria: a case report.

A case of hereditary coproporphyria was reported, he was a 21-year-old farmer, presenting with abdominal pain and fever. His manifestations were composed of all classical symptoms of acute hepatic porphyrias i.e. convulsions, psychosis, hypertension and respiratory failure as well as dark red urine with positive Watson-Schwartz test. Because of lack of cutaneous photosensitivity and strikingly increased urinary coproporphyrin, diagnosis of hereditary coproporphyria was most likely. Precipitating factor could not be identified. He responded well to glucose and other symptomatic treatment during the first admission but not in the second. He died from respiratory failure.