Methaemoglobin
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Methemoglobin (pronounced MET-hemoglobin) is a form of the oxygen-carrying protein hemoglobin (British English: haemoglobin), in which the iron in the heme group is in the Fe3+ state, not the Fe2+ of normal hemoglobin. Methemoglobin is unable to carry oxygen. It is chocolate-brown in color. The NADH-dependent enzyme methemoglobin reductase (AKA diaphorase I) is responsible for converting methemoglobin back to hemoglobin.
Normally one to two percent of people's hemoglobin is methemoglobin; a higher percentage than this can be genetic or caused by exposure to various chemicals and depending on the level can cause health problems known as Methemoglobinemia. A higher level of methemoglobin will tend to cause a pulse oximeter to read closer to 85% regardless of the true level of oxygen saturation.
Common causes
- Reduced cellular defense mechanisms
- Children younger than 4 months exposed to various environmental agents
- Methemoglobin reductase deficiency
- G6PD deficiency
- Hemoglobin M disease
- Pyruvate kinase deficiency
- Various pharmaceutical compounds
- Local anaesthetic agents, especially prilocaine as used in the Bier block
- Amyl nitrite, chloroquine, dapsone, nitrates, nitrites, nitroglycerin, nitroprusside, phenacetin, phenazopyridine, primaquine, quinones and sulfonamides
- Environmental agents
- Aromatic amines
- Arsine
- Chlorobenzene
- Chromates
- Nitrates/nitrites
Methemoglobinemia in infants
In children, this condition is known as blue baby syndrome, attributed primarily to excessive nitrate intake from drinking well water.
External links
cs:Methemoglobinda:Mæthæmoglobin de:Methämoglobin fr:Méthémoglobine it:Metaemoglobina
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .

