• Hussain M Alhiwaishil, Mohammed A Alghareeb, Ammar S Alkhars, Taha H Abdalla, Abdulhadi A Almohsen, and Abbas Al Mutair.
• From the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Alhiwaishil, Alghareeb, Alkhars, Abdalla), Almoosa Specialist Hospital, from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Almohsen), Ministry of Health, Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and from the Department of Nursing and Health Sciences (Al Mutair), Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
• Saudi Med J. 2024 Oct 1; 45 (10): 105710631057-1063.

ObjectivesTo investigate the rate of hospitalized neonates with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency presented with indirect hyperbilirubinemia at a private tertiary center in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, over 4 years and to compare the characteristics of G6PD-deficient and normal neonates admitted for indirect hyperbilirubinemia.MethodsThe retrospective case control study was carried out at Almoosa Specialist Hospital, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected from Yassasi Medical System from 2018-2021 and finalized in 2024. The study included 2 groups: G6PD-normal and G6PD-deficient neonates with indirect hyperbilirubinemia not having recognizable triggers of hemolysis. The analysis focused on serum bilirubin levels, direct bilirubin levels, hematocrit levels, hemoglobin levels, reticulocyte percentage, G6PD levels, duration of phototherapy, and the need for exchange transfusion.ResultsThe study enrolled 3200 neonates with hyperbilirubinemia, of whom 274 met inclusion criteria. A total of 103 (37.6%) neonates were G6PD-deficient, with 77 (74.8%) being male and 26 (25.2%) female. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient neonates exhibited significantly higher initial total bilirubin levels and earlier sampling times. There was no significant correlation between G6PD deficiency and hematocrit or hemoglobin levels in hyperbilirubinemic neonates, but 4 neonates required exchange transfusion, demonstrating statistical significance (p=0.009).ConclusionHigh rate of G6PD deficiency in neonates with indirect hyperbilirubinemia, requiring close monitoring to prevent exchange transfusions, with no significant differences in hematocrit or hemoglobin levels.Copyright: © Saudi Medical Journal.

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