c.202G A/c.376A G G6PD Polymorphisms Increase the Risk of Fungal Infections in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients

Introduction: Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) show a higher risk for several types of infections, including fungal infections (FI), which are one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is an enzyme located in all cells that is very necessary in leukocytes for the production of basic and acid proteases that are used to destroy invading microorganisms. Our objective in this study was to evaluate whether polymorphisms in the G6PD gene concomitantly with FI are associated with clinical events and morbidity in patients diagnosed with AML and followed up at the Amazonas State Blood Center (HEMOAM), Manaus, Brazil. Materials and Methods: The study population was randomly constituted of adults and children, of either sex, and any age, with a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia, all of whom were undergoing treatment at the HEMOAM. Molecular genotyping was performed using real-time PCR (qPCR) and subsequent Sanger sequencing to confirm the c.202G > A/c.376A > G polymorphisms. Results: A total of 157 patients (91 (58%) males and 66 (42%) females) were involved in the study. The most prevalent AML subtype in the studied group was M3 in 63 patients (40.12%), followed by M5 in 33 patients (21.02%), M2 in 21 patients (13.37%) and M4 in 15 patients (9.55%), with a similar prevalence between genders. The prevalence of fungal infections was identical between genders; however, bruising (p = 0.004), vomiting (p = 0.016) and cardiac alterations (p