[SarahO]

Babesiosis is the most common tick borne disease in California. 3 blood surveys of communities have been done with results per population of 3.5%, 16% and 18%. Treatment is with anti-malarials including quinine and quinine relatives.

BABESIOSIS is all over the USA.

What is G6PD Deficiency and why is it connected to Babesiosis and/or Babesiosis treatment?

G6PD is the most common human enzyme deficiency, originally believed to have evolved as a result of exposure to malaria but that's just a hypothesis.

There are severe forms of G6PD deficiency which tend to be in South Asian, Mediterranean and Arabian people. A milder variety tends to be in Africans.
African American men are the highest risk population, 12% of Afircan Americans haev G6PD deficiency, the most notable being the writer Rebecca Walker who has written about her discovery that she had it when she ate fava beans and almost died because of it.

Anotehr name for G6PD deficiency is "favism" because people with this deficiency devleop hemolytic anemia or related symptoms when exposed to certain triggers including, but not limited to:

fava beans

sulfa drugs

quinine & some other anti-malarials

any kind of infection -including Lyme or Ehrlichiosis

The problem that arises with babesiosis is two fold. The tests for all TBDs are very bad, so many people end up being, after a thorough differential diagnosis, clinically diagnosed with Ehrlichiosis, Lyme or Babesiosis.

Someone with severe G6PD deficiency could manifest symptoms of hemolytic anemia all on their own, but if infected with Lyme that could trigger the manifestation.

G6PD deficiency causes hemolytic anemia.

Babesiosis causes hemolytic anemia.

They both cause fatigue, tea colored urine, etc etc etc, a long list of identical symptoms.

Thus, G6PD deficiency could be misdiagnosed as BABESIOSIS. But for a person with G6PD deficiency, being treated with anti-malarials could cause
potentially lethal problems.

Someone who has this deficiency AND Babesiosis would need to be very careful when choosing the drugs for their babesiosis treatment. SOME G6PD people have such a severe deficiency that other malaria drugs other than the usual can trigger hemolytic anemia.

Treating someone for blood negative babesiosis is relatively common in Lyme treatment. THUS, some LLMDs advocate that

ANYONE WHO IS TO BE TREATED WITH ANTI-MALARIALS
SHOULD BE TESTED FOR G6PD DEFICIENCY.

What is a Jarusch hexheimer Reaction? The Jarusch herxheimer reaction is a reaction with infectious disease treatment that when treated with anti-microbials the person temporarily has symptoms intensify before they get better because of the toxins from the dying organisms.

Thus someone who is seronegative Babesiosis treated with anti-malarials would find it normal to get worse.

Someone who was G6PD deficient would get worse as well.

Someone who is G6PD deficient therefore is basically screwed when it comes to Babs treatment and diagnosis unless they are successfully identified.

Who is HIGH RISK?

African Americans- 12% but they tend to have the less lethal kind
South Asians & Asians- 5-6% in a study done by armed forces- but they tend to have the more dangerous kind
Mediterranean peoples, Greek people, Spanish,-
Arabian people, Jewish people-
AND
it DOES occur, although with less frequency,
in Irish & Northern European populations, although it is rare

If you are FEMALE and have G6PD deficiency, you are more likely to have a history of miscarriages and/or pre eclampsia, as it has been linked with those.

SO, before you get treated for Babesiosis, take a simple cheap blood test available through any lab and find out if you are G6PD deficient.

It is worth it to know- because some people may have reactions even to aspirin- and because it is genetic- an X linked phenotype if I remember right.
So it can be passed to the next generation...

I personally mean to get tested because I just found out about this in the past few months. I, although of Norweigian, Scottish, Irish & Welsh extraction (they haev found it rarely in some Irish- due to the old Spanish Armada myth? the Black Irish? My Irish is Black Irish and my grandmother had blue eyes, olive skin & black black hair) think I may have this myself anyway-

* I have been hospitalized for a hemolytic reaction to sulfa drugs
* on a separate occasion I had hemolysis with anti-malarials
* I have a history of 5 miscarriages & pre eclampsia

so... I am planning on avoiding fava beans in my immediate future until I see my doctor and get tested.

Take care all,
Just a heads up-
Best wishes,
Sarah