Methemoglobinemia: Case Report and Review of Literature

Dr. Basma Dawood Hanoon, Dr. Assim Ali Abdulkadhim, Dr. Samir Hameed Wannas, Dr. Harith Mohsin Abd AL - Baqi

Abstract: Methemoglobinemia is an elevated level of methemoglobin in the blood leading to hypoxia and cyanosis due to the decreased oxygen supply to the tissue, Compensatory erythrocytosis has been reported in patients with hereditary methemoglobinemia, because methemoglobin alters oxygen affinity of the hemoglobin molecule and induce shift to the left, there formethemoglobinemia should be put on the differential diagnosis of polycythaemia and cyanosis, especially with presence of typical brown colour of blood in test tube, that shouldraise suspicion about the diagnosis which is confirmed by direct measurement ofmethemoglobin by blood gas analysis.

Keywords: methemoglobinemia, polycythaemia, blood gas analysis