acute hemolytic anemia induced by levofloxacin in a woman with g6pd deficiency: a case report

Introduction: glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (g6pd) is an x-linked recessive disorder recognized as the most prevalent enzyme deficiency around the world. g6pd deficiency has a high prevalence in iran, especially in the northern regions. as we know, hemolysis in g6pd patients was not reported with levofloxacin previously. case report: in this report, we introduce a 54-year-old g6pd deficient woman who experienced the symptoms of hemolytic anemia following completion of treatment with levofloxacin. result: after ruling out other causes of hemolysis, by using the naranjo scale, levofloxacin was considered as a possible cause of hemolysis. conclusion: though the hemolytic anemia induced by levofloxacin is extremely rare in g6pd deficient patients, drug-induced hemolytic anemia should be considered as one of the differential diagnoses. it would be appropriate to use an alternative antibiotic instead of levofloxacin in a g6pd deficient patient.