Favism in England--Two More Cases

Abstract

Two more cases of favism in England are reported, 1 in an English boy whose mother was of Greek ancestry, the other in an Italian immigrant boy. The first boy was severely affected by cooked beans; the second had previously eaten cooked beans without ill effect, but was affected by raw beans. In both cases a deficiency of erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was demonstrated; reference is made to the numerous chemical compounds of an oxidant nature that are capable of causing hemolysis in subjects whose erythrocytes are deficient in this enzyme.