G6PD in Dehradun

What is a G6PD?

G6PD is an enzyme that generates the chemical shield red blood cells rely on to survive oxidative stress. Red cells are unusually vulnerable because they carry oxygen for a living and, having no nucleus, cannot manufacture replacement proteins; G6PD is effectively their only defence. When the enzyme is deficient, cells cope perfectly well day to day but rupture when something pushes oxidative stress up, producing sudden haemolysis: pallor, dark or cola-coloured urine, yellow eyes, breathlessness and marked fatigue, typically one to three days after the trigger. The triggers are specific and knowable, which is what makes the diagnosis so practically valuable. They include certain medicines, notably primaquine and some other antimalarials, sulfa drugs, nitrofurantoin, dapsone and high-dose aspirin; infections; and fava beans. The condition is inherited on the X chromosome, so it predominantly affects men, while women are usually carriers, and it is common enough in parts of India, particularly among certain communities and in historically malarial regions, to be worth knowing before those drugs are prescribed. It is not a disease requiring treatment; it is a status requiring avoidance.

Why take this test?

A G6PD test is advised before starting medicines known to trigger haemolysis, and this is its single most important use: primaquine for the radical cure of vivax malaria is standard treatment in India, and giving it to someone with unrecognised G6PD deficiency can cause severe haemolysis. It is indicated for a newborn with prolonged or unusually deep jaundice, since deficiency is a recognised cause and identifying it changes management. It should be checked where there is a family history, particularly in a brother or maternal uncle, and after any unexplained episode of red-cell breakdown, dark urine following a medicine or an illness, or unexplained anaemia. Once you know your status, the practical value is lifelong: you carry a list of what to avoid and you tell every doctor who prescribes for you. One timing caution matters — testing during or immediately after a haemolytic episode can give a falsely normal result, because the deficient cells have already been destroyed and the young cells replacing them are enzyme-rich, so testing is usually deferred by two to three months.

• Before primaquine or other antimalarials that can trigger haemolysis
• Before sulfa drugs, nitrofurantoin, dapsone or high-dose aspirin
• A newborn with prolonged or unusually deep jaundice
• Family history, particularly in a brother or maternal uncle
• An unexplained episode of red-cell breakdown or dark urine
• Unexplained anaemia, especially in men

Normal reference ranges

Ranges are indicative for adults. Your report carries the lab-specific reference range and is reviewed by a LabONE pathologist; always interpret results with your doctor.

FAQs: G6PD in Dehradun