Why does the AMA seem to be in the dark about treating people with G6PD blood disorders?

As you likely know, Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency is an X-linked recessive hereditary disease characterised by abnormally low levels of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (abbreviated G6PD or G6PDH), a metabolic enzyme involved in the pentose phosphate pathway, especially important in red blood cell metabolism. G6PD deficiency is the most common human enzyme defect.[1] Individuals with the disease may exhibit nonimmune hemolytic anemia in response to a number of causes, most commonly infection or exposure to certain common medications or chemicals.

I have suspected that my father may have had this before his death in his 80s, when he had an unusual reaction to an anti-malarial drug.

As you know, this is one of the most common enzymatic deficiencies. Despite this, it is fairly unusual. Unfortunately, particularly in US medicine, physicians are trained to make diagnoses based largely on the numbers. Many times, a patient who is acutely ill, has a more common disorder than this one, and so it may take a little time to detect and properly treat such an occurance. It is especially important if you have a family member or history of this disorder, that you carry a copy of medical records with you, and that you consider the drugs which can cause exacerbations of this disorder, to be ALLERGIES, even though, in strictest terms, they are not.

Here is some reading for you.

http://g6pddeficiency.org/index.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucose-6-phosphate_d...

Best wishes.

It's not an AMA issue. You seem to misunderstand what the AMA is and does. And American physicians are well aware of G6PD deficiency. There are generally plenty of options for those who have the problem. It sounds as if you've had a bad experience. I don't know why that would have happened, but it might be related to the push by the insurance companies and Uncle Sam for doctors to become "more efficient" in their office practices, as if there were a way to spend twenty minutes with each patient, six or eight times every hour. It seems our government and insurance companies are trying to destroy primary care medicine in the US, and they're getting away with it.

Give John De Witt 5 stars !!!

You DO NOT HAVE TIME to go looking for rare conditions. American physicians are being converted into technicians to do the Government's or the Insurance company's bidding. It is not getting any better, and with the push for socialized medicine, folks with uncommon problems are going to be the first to suffer.

When I was a Resident, I found the second case in the world of two different diseases in one month. Pretty good, huh? It took HOURS and HOURS of reading, testing, etc. for each of them. Now if the same patient presented to me with a 15 minute appointment, how far do you think I would have gotten?

G6PD (Glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase) is an enzyme that normally protects red blood cells from oxidative damage. People with G6PD deficiency are normally symptoms free. However, certain environmental agents can cause severe hemolytic anemia. Not trying to scare you, but you need to be very aware of substances that your child may be exposed to, such as drugs or even certain types of foods. You need to talk to your doctor about what precautions to take and make sure that every doctor you take your child to is aware of his/her condition. Also, ask what of the counter drugs you may want to avoid.