Strange Medical Conditions You Won’t Believe Are Real

Methemoglobinemia

Methemoglobinemia occurs when red blood cells carry an abnormally high level of methemoglobin, which results in the formation of ferric acid instead of the usual ferrous form. This causes a lack of oxygen to tissues and results in changing the color of skin, either through paling or changing it to a gray or blue hue.

An average level of methemoglobin is between zero and three percent. As the levels increase, the symptoms worsen. At three to fifteen percent, symptoms of the disorder include discoloration of the skin and blood. Cyanosis, a deeper blue coloration of the skin, occurs when the levels reach fifteen to twenty percent. During twenty-five to fifty percent, patients may experience headaches, lightheadedness, weakness, confusion, chest pain, and palpitations. By fifty to seventy percent, there may be abnormal cardiac rhythms, delirium, altered mental status, seizures, and a coma. If levels of methemoglobin reach above seventy percent, it usually results in death.

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