Glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase deficiency and its correlation with other risk factors in jaundiced newborns in Southern Brazil.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the correlation between glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency and neonatal jaundice. METHODS Prospective, observational case-control study was conducted on 490 newborns admitted to Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre for phototherapy, who all experienced 35 or more weeks of gestation, from March to December 2007. Enzymatic screening of G6PD activity was performed, followed by PCR. RESULTS There was prevalence of 4.6% and a boy-girl ratio of 3:1 in jaundiced newborns. No jaundiced neonate with ABO incompatibility presented G6PD deficiency, and no Mediterranean mutation was found. A higher proportion of deficiency was observed in Afro-descendants. There was no association with UGT1A1 variants. CONCLUSIONS G6PD deficiency is not related to severe hyperbilirubinemia and considering the high miscegenation in this area of Brazil, other gene interactions should be investigated.