Molecular Aspects of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency in Iran

Background: g6pd deficiency is the most common hereditary enzyme deficiency that affected more than 400 million people worldwide. this enzyme deficiency is caused by a spectrum of mutations in the gene encoding g6pd on chromosome x. epidemiologically; g6pd deficiency has been specially considered in middle east countries including iran, oman and saudi arabia.materials and methods: this study has reviewed more than 70 papers related to the epidemiological significance and various diagnostic strategies of g6pd deficiency from 1956 to 2010.results: the results showed a higher prevalence of mediterranean variant followed by chatham and cosenza compared to other variants in iran.conclusion: accurate identification of g6pd deficiency variants in areas with high prevalence of this disease will help to screen patients and their families with risk level when faced with oxidant agents.