Abstract

Basim A. Alabdely* and Ziad T. A. Al-Rubaie

ABSTRACT

Background: Glucose-6-phosphatase dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is one of the most common X-linked inherited pediatric disorder. Acute hemolytic anemia can be developed in children with G6PD deficiency after ingestion of Fava beans, which is called ‘Favism’. Objective: The objectives of this study are to identify the demographic characteristics of hospitalized children with favism in Fallujah hospital; and to explore the challenges in addressing the research questions for future studies. Methods: This was a case series study design. The children admitted to the hospital suffering from acute hemolytic anemia after ingestion of fava bean from March to May 2012 were included in the study. The demographic characteristics and risk factors included: age, gender, consanguinity, residency, onset of hemolysis, onset of admission (in months), severity of illness, potential complications, received urgent blood transfusion or not, duration of stay in hospital and death toll. The primary outcome was acute hemolytic anemia following ingestion of fava bean ‘Favism cases’. The distribution of the characteristics was presented in number and percentages. The continuous variables were presented as mean and standard deviation (SD) and range. Results: A total of 74 patients were admitted to the hospital suffering from acute hemolytic anemia after ingestion of fava bean. The rate of favism in Al-Falluja city was 6.7%. The mean age of patients was 3.6 years (SD 2.5). 60 (81%) were males and 14 (19%) were females. Most of patients (n=53, 71.62%) were from rural area. The peak month of admissions was during April 2012 (n= 68, 92%). About 80% of cases developed hemolysis within first 72 hours after ingestion of fava beans. Of them, 97% of cases experienced moderate to severe hemolysis. All cases have received urgent blood transfusion. No deaths were reported. Conclusion: Favism is a life-threatening and needs prompt intervention. The condition is predominant in males during fava bean season especially in rural areas. Education campaigns should be regularly performed to increase the awareness of the families about this serious condition. Further researches are needed to develop an optimal preventive strategy.