Screening of G6PD Deficiency in Newborns at a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in Assam, North East India: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is the most frequently encountered enzymopathy in humans. It is closely linked to neonatal jaundice, chronic non-spherocytic haemolytic anaemia, and acute haemolytic anaemia. G6PD deficiency is a common cause of jaundice among neonates. Aim: To screen for G6PD deficiency among newborns at a tertiary care teaching centre in Assam. Materials and Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the postnatal ward of the Department of Paediatrics at Medical College & Hospital, Dibrugarh, Assam, India, from June 2021 to May 2022. A randomly selected sample of 630 term neonates aged between 24 hours and 7 days of life was included in the study. A 2ml blood sample was collected in an Ethylenediamine Tetra-acetic Acid (EDTA) vial from each neonate, and G6PD enzyme activity was estimated using the Kinetic Method with a commercially available G-six kit. Newborns with G6PD enzyme activity values less than 6.4 U/g Haemoglobin (Hb) were considered G6PD deficient. Data, including age, sex, religion, Total Serum Bilirubin (TSB/NBIL), G6PD activity, and Hb of the neonates, were entered into pre-designed forms. The data were analysed using the Chi-square test. Results: Among the 630 screened neonates, 48 were found to be G6PD deficient, of which the majority were males (34 males, 14 females), resulting in a male-to-female ratio of 2.4:1. The occurrence of G6PD deficiency was 7.62%. The mean G6PD enzyme activity in deficient neonates was 4.53±1.17 U/g Hb. Conclusion: This study identified a significant occurrence of G6PD deficiency in newborns, including females. The mean G6PD enzyme activity in deficient neonates was significantly lower than in normal cases.