G6PD Mediterranean accounts for the high prevalence of G6PD deficiency in Kurdish Jews

The Jews of Kurdistan are a small inbred population with a high incidence of beta-thalassaemia and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Recently, it was reported that the beta-thalassaemia in this population shows an unusual mutational diversity; 13 different mutations were identified, of which 4 had not previously been observed in any other population. In contrast, we now report that the G6PD deficiency, which has the highest known incidence in the world, and which affects about 70% of males, is almost entirely attributable to a single widespread mutation, G6PD Mediterranean.