Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency in Saudi Arabia: A Survey

A survey of red cell G-6-PD deficiency has been conducted among 1296 Saudi subjects. Thirteen per cent of randomly selected male subjects and 2.4 per cent of the females tested were found to be G-6-PD deficient. In this study, the screening test employed did not detect female (partially G-6-PD deficient) heterozygotes. The deficiency appeared to be localized to the oasis of the Eastern province, and in village studies a very high incidence was found in male children from the Qatif and Al-Hasa oases. The geographic limits of G-6-PD deficiency correspond precisely to the areas known to be hyperendemic for malaria in previous years. However, the population group affected represents a distinct minority in terms of religious and cultural tradition, and anthropometric type. In Saudi Arabia, falciparum malaria does not appear to be the only significant factor determining marked regional differences in the incidence of G-6-PD deficiency: this genetic marker is essentially confined to the Shiite muslim population. The Sunni population, regardless of its proximity to areas of endemic falciparum malaria, has a low incidence of G-6-PD deficiency.