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Case Reports
. 2020:24:20.158.
doi: 10.7812/TPP/20.158.

Hemolytic Anemia in a Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase-Deficient Patient Receiving Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19: A Case Report

Jorge Aguilar  1 , Yelena Averbukh
Affiliations
Case Reports

Hemolytic Anemia in a Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase-Deficient Patient Receiving Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19: A Case Report

Jorge Aguilar et al. Perm J. 2020.

Abstract

Introduction: The growing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic initially led to widespread use of hydroxychloroquine sulfate as an off-label experimental treatment of this disease.

Case presentation: Acute hemolytic anemia developed in an African American man with COVID-19-related pneumonia and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency who completed the standard 5-day experimental course of hydroxychloroquine. Although the trigger leading to our patient's hemolytic sequelae will never be known with certainty, his clinical course suggests that hydroxychloroquine use and/or COVID-19 infection may trigger hemolysis in susceptible patients with G6PD deficiency.

Discussion: This case confirms recent findings that the potential risks of hydroxychloroquine therapy for COVID-19 may outweigh the benefits.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure Statement

The author(s) have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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