Study of erythrocyte G6PD deficiency in leprosy.

A survey of a number of ethnic groups in the Mediterranean region, Middle East and Africa has demonstrated that the pattern of distribution of G6PD deficiency roughly corresponds to that of sickle cell trait, thalassemia and malarial infection (10). Gilles et al. (2) reported G6PD deficiency in Negro leprosy patients in Africa. Gilles and Taylor (3) observed that 2% of Negro leprosy patients had G6PD deficiency, while Pettit and Chin (11) found it in 4.4% of 1,073 patients with leprosy (80% of these were Chinese, who show low~ est incidence of this enzymatic deficiency). The present study was undertaken to observe any relationship between G6PD deficiency and ethnic group, type of leprosy, hemoglobinopathy and lepra reaction.