COVID-19 may enhance risk of thrombosis and hemolysis in the G6PD deficient patients

Abstract

COVID-19 has become a major public health problem since December, 2019 and no highly effective drug has been found until now. Numbers of infected people and deaths by COVID-19 are increasing every day worldwide, therefore self-isolation and protection are highly recommended to prevent the spread of the virus and especially to protect major risk groups such as the elderly population and people with comorbidities including diabetes, hypertension, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome. On the other hand, young people without any secondary disease have died by COVID-19 as well. In this study we compared two male patients infected by COVID-19 at the same age and one of them was diagnosed with G6PD deficiency. Both COVID-19 and G6PD deficiency enhance the risk of hemolysis and thrombosis. Serum biochemistry, hemogram and immunological parameters showed that risk of hemolysis and thrombosis may increase in the G6PD deficient patient infected by COVID-19.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase
• hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase
• drug therapy
• enzyme deficiency

Acknowledgement

The authors gratefully acknowledge use of the services and facilities of the Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Presidency of Strategy and Budget.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This article was funded by the Presidency of Turkey, Presidency of Strategy and Budget.