Malaria in the Humaitá County, Amazonas State, XXI: Prevalence of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in a population sample and in malaria patients (Plasmodium falciparum)

Abstract

The authors studied the prevalence of glucoses-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency by BREWER method et al, in 141 individuals from Humaita county, Amazonas State. From this total, 128 were born in Amazonian 67 had never had malaria, but 61 had already had this disease or were with; it the others thirteen left, who had this disease were not from Amazonian. The results revealed that 7 (4,96%) Amazonian individuals were deficients. From this total, there were 5 females and 2 males individuals. In all female individuals the test was positive according to heterozygote kind of behaviour. Among the deficient individuals, four had never had malaria from the 3 left, 2 presented a positive hemagglutination reaction with 1/16 tittle and the third was with malaria for the first time, caused by Plasmodium falciparum. This patient presented the benign form of malaria followed by clinical and parasitological remission in the third day of treatment with clindamycin. None of the 13 patients who weren't Amazonian individuals presented G6PD deficiency. Being so, there were no diference in the prevalence of G6PD in Amazonian individuals who had never had the disease and in Amazonian individuals who had already had or were with the disease. Thus, the individuals with G6PD deficiency are subject to contamination by Plasmodium falciparum in the same proportion to the no deficients. In the other hand, the increase of prevalence of G6PD deficiency in the sample studied, could be related to the seletive pressure on malaria in population submited to homozygous.