Parenting - Prenatal to preschool/Parenting_PrenatalToPreschool.bin/dp/0008/00087.txt

Text File | 1993-06-14 | 5KB | 114 lines

$Unique_ID{PAR00087}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  G6PD Deficiency}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{G6PD Deficiency Paleness Jaundice Dark-colored urine Back pain
infection medication aspirin breast-feeding foods medications fava beans
Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme enzymes digestion ethnic groups
racial group Mediterranean Sea Oriental black red blood cells anemia malaria
sulfa drug nitrofuran drugs antibacterial agents pain-relievers poison
antidotes methylene blue dimercaprol medication medications hepatitis
infectious mononucleosis bacterial pneumonia viral infections colds flu}
$Log{}

Your Child:  A Medical Guide


G6PD Deficiency


     Quick Reference

     SYMPTOMS
     - Paleness
     - Jaundice
     - Dark-colored urine
     - Back pain

     HOME CARE
     - Consult your doctor if your child shows signs of having this condition,
       particularly if the child has an infection or has been taking
       medication.

     PRECAUTIONS
     - A child with G6PD deficiency should not be given aspirin.
     - Before a child is given medication, the prescribing doctor should be
       told that the child has G6PD deficiency.
     - The mother of a breast-fed baby who has this condition needs to be
       careful about what kinds of foods and medications she takes.
     - Keep fava beans out of the child's diet if they cause a reaction.


     Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is an enzyme.  (An enzyme is a
type of protein produced by the body that participates in digestion and other
chemical functions in the body.)  G6PD deficiency is an inherited disorder in
which there is not enough of this enzyme in the body.
     It is possible for a person from any ethnic or racial group to have G6PD
deficiency.  However, it is most common in ethnic groups from around the
Mediterranean Sea and in Oriental and black persons.
     G6PD deficiency is less common in females, because a female who inherits
the gene for G6PD will often have a second, normal gene that causes the body
to produce normal G6PD, so that she may never have symptoms of the disorder.
However, if a female inherits two defective genes, the disorder will be the
same as it would be in a male.
     When a person with the deficiency has an infection, takes certain drugs,
or eats certain foods, his red blood cells break up.  This causes anemia (a
shortage of red blood cells).  Some of the substances that can cause a G6PD
reaction are drugs for treating malaria; sulfa drugs and nitrofuran drugs,
which are antibacterial agents; aspirin and other pain-relievers; poison
antidotes, such as methylene blue and dimercaprol; and fava beans.  Infections
that can cause a reaction include hepatitis, infectious mononucleosis,
bacterial pneumonia, and viral infections, such as colds and flu.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     The symptoms of G6PD deficiency include paleness, jaundice (yellowing of
the skin and the whites of the eyes), dark-colored urine, and back pain.  In
extreme cases, anemia can become severe enough to cause shock and even death.
Between attacks, there are usually no symptoms, but occasionally a person with
G6PD deficiency will have long-term anemia and jaundice and also an enlarged
spleen.  Infants with the disorder may be born with jaundice; this is most
common in babies of Mediterranean ancestry, Oriental babies, and premature
black babies.
     G6PD deficiency is diagnosed through blood tests.  The enzymes in the red
blood cells are analyzed to see if normal amounts of G6PD are present.  The
problem may be difficult to detect in black persons during an attack, because
in the form of the disorder that is most common in the black population, the
red cells are affected suddenly and then quickly replaced with normal cells.
In other forms of the disorder, defective red cells remain in the blood for a
longer period.  Screening tests for the deficiency may be given to members of
families that have a history of the disorder.  Many doctors routinely screen
all Oriental and black male children for G6PD deficiency.  Otherwise, the
problem may not be discovered until a child has a sudden attack of anemia.

HOME CARE

     If your child has the symptoms of G6PD deficiency, especially during an
infection or after taking a drug, consult your doctor.

PRECAUTIONS

  -  If your child has G6PD deficiency, avoid giving aspirin to the child.
  -  Be sure that any doctor who is prescribing drugs for the child knows that
     he has this disorder.
  -  If fava beans cause a reaction in your child, do not include them in the
     child's diet.
  -  If you are breast-feeding a baby who has this disorder, be careful about
     what you eat and what drugs you take.  Some drugs and food pass into the
     milk and can cause a reaction in the baby.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     There is no cure for G6PD deficiency.  The only treatment is to try to
avoid the foods and drugs that cause the problem.  In mild cases, no other
treatment is necessary, even during an attack.  In severe cases, a child may
have to be hospitalized during an attack and treated for severe anemia and
possibly shock.

RELATED TOPICS:  Anemia; Common cold; Food allergies; Hepatitis; Infectious
mononucleosis; Influenza; Jaundice in children; Jaundice in newborns;
Pneumonia; Poisoning; Shock.