Effect of G6PD Deficiency on Red Blood Cell Storage

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is the most common enzyme deficiency, affecting approximately 400 million people world-wide. It manifests as red blood cell (RBC) destruction in response to oxidative stress, which can be precipitated by infection, and by the ingestion of certain medications and foods. The prevalence of G6PD deficiency varies among populations and is most commonly found in individuals from sub-Saharan Africa, the Mediterranean region, and south-east Asia. Although in most studies G6PD-deficient individuals have normal RBC survival at steady-state, this may vary based upon the G6PD variant present, and some individuals may have shortened RBC survival. While it is not routine practice to screen blood donors for G6PD deficiency, G6PD deficient donor RBCs may store more poorly than normal RBCs. In addition, the transfusion of stored G6PD-deficient RBCs may result in decreased RBC survival after transfusion compared to RBCs from normal donors.

Inclusion criteria

• Male
• Weight greater than 110 pounds
• Hemoglobin greater than 11.5 g/dL
• African (e.g., Afro-American, Afro-Caribbean, Sub-Saharan), Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, or Mediterranean (e.g., Italian, Greek) based on mother's ancestry
• English speaking

Exclusion criteria

• Presence of hemoglobin variant
• Ineligible for donation based on the New York Blood Center donor autologous questionnaire
• Systolic blood pressure >180 or <90 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure >100 or <50 mm Hg
• Heart rate <50 or >100
• Temperature >99.5°F prior to donation
• Temperature >100.4°F or subjective feeling of illness prior to transfusion (this criterion is to avoid concurrent illness affecting post-transfusion measurements)
• Positive results on standard blood donor infectious disease testing