Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency is an important cause of hemolysis. 
People with this disease are prone to hemolytic crisis induced by drugs, 
including acetylsalicylic acid. Sodium salicylate is the main therapeutic choice 
for acute idiopathic pericarditis. In vitro studies have demonstrated the role 
played by sodium salicylate in the inhibition of glucose 6-phosphate 
dehydrogenase, but, at therapeutic doses, this inhibition is not enough to 
explain acetylsalicylic acid-induced hemolysis observed in vivo. We thus treated 
a patient affected by acute idiopathic pericarditis and glucose 6-phosphate 
dehydrogenase deficiency with sodium salicylate, obtaining complete resolution 
of fever and symptoms, without any hemolytic complication. Therapy with sodium 
salicylate could thus be a safe and effective alternative for patients with 
glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase who require anti-inflammatory therapy.