title: National G6PD neonatal screening program in Gaza Strip of Palestine: rationale, challenges and recommendations.
abstract: Congenital genetic disorders affecting neonates or young children can have serious clinical consequences if undiagnosed and left untreated. Early detection and an accurate diagnosis are, therefore, of major importance for preventing negative patient outcomes. Even though the occurrence of each specific metabolic disorder may be rare, their collective impact of preventable complications may be of considerable importance to the public health. Our previous studies showed that glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is a problem of public health importance that has been shown to be a predominant cause of acute hemolytic anemia requiring hospitalization in Palestinian young children in Gaza Strip. Intriguingly, the majority of these children had one of the three variants, Mediterranean(c.) (563T) , African G6PD A-(c.) (202A) (/c.) (376G) and heretofore unrecognized as a common G6PD-deficient variant G6PD Cairo(c.) (404C) . The high prevalence of G6PD deficiency, as well as dietary factors in the region that precipitate anemia, argues for a need to protect the Palestinian children from a treatable and manageable genetic and metabolic disorder. This work reviews and discusses rationales and challenges of G6PD screening program in Gaza Strip. We advocate adopting a national neonatal G6PD screening program in Gaza Strip to identify children at risk and promote wellness and health for Palestine.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Al Azhar University-Gaza, Gaza, Palestine.|Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Sirdah
authors.affiliation: Al Nasser Pediatric Hospital, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Gaza, Palestine.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Al-Kahlout
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.|Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology, ARUP Laboratories, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.|Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Reading
mesh_terms: D018912:Arabs / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics*; D005955:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008877:Middle East; D015997:Neonatal Screening
chemical_list: D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase
keywords: G6PD deficiency; Gaza Strip; Palestine; neonatal screening