What is "methemoglobinemia"

n. (context medicine English) A form of toxic anemia characterized by the presence of methemoglobin in the blood

Methemoglobinemia (or methaemoglobinaemia) is a disorder characterized by the presence of a higher than normal level of methemoglobin (metHb, i.e., ferric [Fe] rather than ferrous [Fe] haemoglobin) in the blood. Methemoglobin is a form of hemoglobin that contains ferric [Fe] iron and has a decreased ability to bind oxygen. However, the ferrous iron has an increased affinity for bound oxygen. The binding of oxygen to methemoglobin results in an increased affinity of oxygen to the three other heme sites (that are still ferrous) within the same tetrameric hemoglobin unit. This leads to an overall reduced ability of the red blood cell to release oxygen to tissues, with the associated oxygen–hemoglobin dissociation curve therefore shifted to the left. When methemoglobin concentration is elevated in red blood cells, tissue hypoxia can occur.