¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Medical Definition of Methemoglobinaemia
1. The presence of methemoglobin in the blood, resulting in cyanosis. A small amount of methemoglobin is present in the blood normally, but injury or toxic agents convert a larger proportion of haemoglobin into methemoglobin, which does not function reversibly as an oxygen carrier. Methemoglobinaemia may be due to a defect in the enzyme NADH methemoglobin reductase (an autosomal recessive trait) or to an abnormality in haemoglobin m (an autosomal dominant trait). (12 Dec 1998)