Prevalence of G6PD deficiency and knowledge of diagnosis in a sample of previously unscreened Lebanese males: clinical implications:

The incidence of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase(G6PD) deficiency in Lebanon is estimated at 10 per 1000 in men and 0.4 per 1000 in women. A community-based cluster samplingsurvey was conducted in 15 villages in all areas in Lebanon. The survey found 36 cases of G6PD deficiency among 3000 men aged 14 years and above, yielding a cumulative incidencerate of 12 per 1000. Of those 36 cases, 28 (77.8%) knew of their problem since they had already suffered at least one severe anaemia crisis in their childhood following the ingestion of raw green fava beans. The remaining 22.2% were not aware at all of their defect. These findings confirm that G6PD is a common genetic problem in Lebanon. The efficiency of early screening programmes in terms of preventing severe, at times potentially lethal, haemolytic crises is currently being investigated.