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Glite Dictionary
methemoglobinemia

methemoglobinemia

1 9.9
A blood problem where blood cannot carry enough oxygen to the body
  • noun
  • /ˌmɛθəˌmoʊɡləˈbiːniə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : methemoglobinemia
  • Nitrate levels near or higher than the health advisory limit of 10 mg/L may cause a higher incidence of infant methemoglobinemia and a long-term increase in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in adults.
  • methemoglobinemia in infants

Examples

  • Nitrate in drinking water has long been considered a health threat for its ability to induce methemoglobinemia, and this health outcome is the basis of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (U.S. EPA's) maximum contaminant level (Bruning-Fann & Kaneene, 1993).

    Academic text (2010)

  • In rural areas, high levels of nitrates in well water have been linked to cases of methemoglobinemia in infants.

  • This standard was chosen to prevent methemoglobinemia in infants (12).

    Academic text (1998)

  • Three single-case outbreaks of methemoglobinemia were due to high levels of nitrate in well water.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Another health effect of excess nitrates is methemoglobinemia, or "blue baby" syndrome, a form of oxygen starvation in infants.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Another rare complication is methemoglobinemia, which leads to an impairment of oxygen delivery to tissues and causes "chocolate cyanosis," a brown discoloration of the lips and mucosa of the oral cavity.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Excessive exposure to nitrates can lead to methemoglobinemia, which impairs the blood's ability to transport oxygen to organs.

  • Monitoring nitrate levels in drinking water is crucial to prevent methemoglobinemia and protect public health.

Surface Forms

methemoglobinemia singular
methemoglobinemias plural

Morphology

methemoglobinemia = hemoglobin (opaque) = met + hem + globin + emia

The term is derived from specialized medical terminology and is not transparent to average learners.

Etymology

Methemoglobinemia breaks into three parts: meta- meaning 'changed', hemoglobin the blood protein that carries oxygen, and -emia meaning 'blood condition'. So methemoglobinemia is a 'changed hemoglobin' condition in the blood, which is why the blood cannot carry oxygen to body tissues well. It even shares the -emia ending with the common word anemia, which helps you remember it is a blood problem.