Erythrocytic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency and anaemia

This study demonstrates that glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase [G6PD] activity in anaemic patients is significantly increased compared with that in normal blood donors. There are inverse correlations between G6PD levels and several haematological indices. These correlations are difficult to explain as the reticulocyte counts in our anaemic patients were not greatly increased. A likely reason for these results is an effect of red cell age that is not properly reflected in the reticulocyte counts, and some unidentified factors affecting erythropoeisis may be responsible for the increased production of G6PD in these anaemic patients