What causes G6PD deficiency?
G6PD deficiency is inherited by a gene on the X chromosome. Chromosomes are the structures in our cells which contain our genes; genes code for all of our traits such as eye color and blood type. All humans have 46 chromosomes, or 23 pairs; the last pair determines gender: females have two X chromosomes, while males have one X and one Y chromosome. G6PD deficiency is inherited from females who carry one copy of the gene on one of their X chromosomes, to half of their sons. Sons who receive the gene have G6PD deficiency, and daughters who receive the gene are carriers (who generally do not show any symptoms). Sons and daughters who do not receive the gene are unaffected. Certain ethnic groups have an increased incidence of G6PD deficiency than others. G6PD deficiency is seen in about 10 percent of African-American males in the US, and is also common in persons from the Mediterranean area or Asia. The severity of G6PD deficiency differs among different populations. In the most common for
