Glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency and Thalassaemia Trait

There is now evidence that an increase in the low-density serum lipoproteins plays a part in the causation of degenerative vascular disease (Gofman, Jones, Lindgren, Lyon, Elliott, and Strisower, 1950; Kannel, Dawber, Kagan, Revotskie, and Stokes, 1961). Studies of serum cholesterol in different ethnic groups has shown important differences (Adlersberg and Schaefer, 1959), but it cannot yet be decided if these differences are caused by genetic factors, by diet, or by other environmental influences (Adlersberg, Schaefer, Steinberg, and Wang, 1956). Choremis, Kyriakides, and Papadakis (1961), studying children with Cooley's anaemia and sicklecell anaemia, reported decreased values of serum lipids as determined by chemical analysis. Westerman, Pierce, and Jensen (1964) also found plasma total lipid, total phospholipid, and total cholesterol concentrations to be significantly lower in patients with sickle-cell anaemia than in a group of normal subjects. Fessas, Stamatoyannopoulos, and Keys (1963) described reduced levels of cholesterol and 5-lipoprotein in carriers of the thalassaemia trait. On the other hand in Negroes with glucose-6phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency serum cholesterol levels are reported to be higher as compared with age-matched controls (Tarlov, Brewer, and Swanson, 1961). In the Greek population we have a relatively large number of people with the thalassaemia trait, as well as people with G6PD deficiency. In view of this, we carried out a study of serum lipoproteins in carriers of the thalassaemia trait and in G6PD deficient subjects, in order to confirm the existence of any significant differences in the serum lipoproteins between these two groups.