A Review of Methemoglobinemia Cases
A Myrtle Beach, South Carolina cardiologist, Dr. Rachel Ash-Bernal is board certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease. Among Dr. Rachel Ash-Bernal areas of research is the acquisition of methemoglobinemia from medications used in the hospital. A form of hemoglobin, methemoglobin does not bind oxygen. As a result, an elevated concentration of methemoglobin in red blood cells results in potential tissue hypoxia (a shortage of oxygen) and functional anemia. A retrospective case series describes cases of acquired methemoglobinemia in two hospitals and outpatient clinics over 28 months. Over this period, researchers detected 138 cases of acquired methemoglobinemia in patients ranging in age from four days to 86 years. Cases showed no gender predisposition, and they occurred in multiple areas of the hospital. Nearly all (94 percent) patients with methemoglobinemia were anemic, while 42 percent of cases were attributable to the prescription drug Dapsone, commonly prescribed in hospital settings. Among these 42 percent, the average peak methemoglobin level was 7.6 percent. In 11 pediatric patients, methemoglobinemia developed from exogenous exposure or as a result of an illness such as a gastrointestinal infection with dehydration.
