[Clinical and laboratorial alterations in Plasmodium vivax malaria patients and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency treated with primaquine at 0.50 mg/kg/day].

The adverse effects of primaquine (0.50 mg/kg/day) were investigated in eleven patients with vivax malaria (three patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency). Clinical and laboratorial alterations indicated acute hemolysis in only the enzymopenic patients and treatment was interrupted. Our results suggest that screening for G6PD deficiency should be carried out in patients with vivax malaria infection in order to avoid complications due to primaquine.