Severe acute kidney injury owing to rhabdomyolysis and intravascular haemolysis in an 11-year-old child with G6PD deficiency.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency leading to acute intravascular haemolysis and acute kidney injury (AKI) is a known clinical presentation. However, there is a paucity of information regarding the occurrence of rhabdomyolysis and myoglobinuria in G6PD-deficient individuals, especially children. An 11-year-old south Indian Tamil girl presented with severe anaemia and anuric AKI following a short febrile illness. Investigations demonstrated evidence of intravascular haemolysis and rhabdomyolysis, and on histopathology myoglobin deposits (casts) were detected in the renal tubules. She was successfully managed with repeated sessions of haemodialysis and blood transfusions. Follow-up estimation of G6PD levels after 3 months confirmed severe G6PD deficiency (0.003 nkat/g haemoglobin). Although there are anecdotal reports of myoglobinuria in G6PD-deficient individuals, the occurrence of severe anuric AKI in this clinical setting has not been reported. It can be speculated that myoglobinuria (in addition to haemoglobinuria) can contribute towards jeopardising renal function in G6PD deficiency-related acute haemolytic crisis.