glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (sometimes also called g6pd deficiency, or favism) is a hereditary disease. this means it is passed on through the genes from a parent to the child. it leads to a form of anaemia. there are some means to treat it, though the focus of the doctors now lies on prevention (avoiding parents passing it on to their child). as it is linked to the x chromosome, most people who suffer from it are male.