determining the frequency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in newborn infants in shahrekord

background and aims: glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (g6pd) is the first enzyme in the route of pentose phosphate metabolism. this route fulfills an effective role in removing oxidant metabolites. deficiency of this enzyme causes decline in energy regeneration of red blood cells and hemolysis. in this study, application of fluorescence staining method in diagnosing the frequency of g6pd deficiency in newborn infants was examined. methods: in this descriptive cross-sectional study, serum samples from 1240 newborn infants’ cord were obtained, and activity of g6pd enzyme was measured by means of fluorescence staining method. demographic data including place of living, gender, and history of g6pd deficiency in family ichtems related hospitalization were recorded. the data were analyzed by spss15 software and chi-square test. results: from 1240 under study samples, 29 (2.3%) suffered from g6pd deficiency, among whom 3 (10.9%) had severe deficiency and 26 (89.7%) had mild to moderate deficiency. among the variables under study, only icterus-related hospitalization had a significant association with g6pd deficiency (p<0.001). conclusion: considering the high percentage of hospitalization of infants with g6pd deficiency, the potential risks of this hemolytic disease in the future for the patients, and low cost of fluorescent spot test, it is recommended to use this test to screen newborn infants.