Which condition is characterized by excessive destruction of red blood cells due to an enzyme deficiency?

The condition characterized by excessive destruction of red blood cells due to an enzyme deficiency is glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. This enzyme plays a crucial role in the pentose phosphate pathway, which is vital for red blood cell metabolism and protection against oxidative stress. In individuals with G6PD deficiency, the lack of adequate levels of NADPH leads to a reduced ability to counteract oxidative damage from reactive oxygen species. As a result, exposure to certain oxidative stressors, such as foods (like fava beans), infections, or certain medications, can trigger hemolysis, leading to symptoms such as jaundice and anemia.

In contrast, thalassemia involves a genetic defect in hemoglobin synthesis rather than an enzyme deficiency that causes hemolysis, sickle cell anemia is due to a mutation that causes hemoglobin S to polymerize under deoxygenated conditions, leading to sickling and vaso-occlusive crises, and hereditary spherocytosis is related to defects in the proteins that maintain red blood cell membrane integrity, resulting in spherocytes that are susceptible to destruction in the spleen. While all these conditions impact red blood cell survival, they do so through mechanisms that are distinct from the metabolic enzyme