MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF ERYTHROCYTE GLUCOSE-6-PHOSPHATE-DEHYDROGENASE DEFICIENCY IN AL-AIN DISTRICT, UNITED-ARAB-EMIRATES

In a cross-sectional study, the activity, electrophoretic mobility and genotypes of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) were determined among healthy, UAE national school boys from Al-Ain District in the U nited Arab Emirates. The prevalence of G6PD deficiency in this populat ion sample was 11%, The majority of G6PD-deficient subjects were desce ndants of Omani, Baluchi or Yemeni migrants. Of 18 deficient subjects, 16 had an enzyme activity of < 10% of normal while 2 had an activity of just above 10%, Electrophoresis was performed on 166 samples and sh owed that, apart from deficient samples, all had the normal mobility o f G6PD type B. Of the 18 deficient subjects, 14 had the B type mobilit y of G6PD Mediterranean and 4 had the A type mobility of G6PD A-. Geno typing demonstrated that 10 had the Mediterranean mutation while 3 had the A- mutation, consistent with their electrophoretic mobility, Anot her 3 had the G6PD Aures mutation, recently described as polymorphic i n Algeria and Spain. The mutations in the remaining 2 subjects have no t yet been identified.