The Medicine Forum

Article Title

A Case Report of Methemoglobinemia and Hemolytic Anemia in the Setting of COVID-19 Pneumonia and G6PD Deficiency

Authors

Grant W. Jirka, MD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Travis Hunt, MD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Sushil Ghimire, MD, Thomas Jefferson University
Rakhshanda Akram, MD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Urvashi Vaid, MD, MS, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow

Abstract

It is well known that hereditary or acquired methemoglobinemia can cause hypoxia due to the oxidation of heme, which impairs its ability to offload oxygen (Figures 1 & 2), and that acquired methemoglobinemia is most often caused by exposure to drugs and toxins that oxidize hemoglobin to methemoglobin, directly or indirectly1. Recently, a few case reports have highlighted methemoglobinemia in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Some of these reports were due to treatment with hydroxychloroquine and others from unidentifiable causes2-4. We present a case in which a patient with COVID-19 pneumonia was diagnosed with methemoglobinemia and acute hemolysis from G6PD deficiency in the setting of worsening hypoxia after receiving treatment with dexamethasone, remdesivir, and high-dose vitamin C.

Recommended Citation

Jirka, MD, Grant W.; Hunt, MD, Travis; Ghimire, MD, Sushil; Akram, MD, Rakhshanda; and Vaid, MD, MS, Urvashi (2022) "A Case Report of Methemoglobinemia and Hemolytic Anemia in the Setting of COVID-19 Pneumonia and G6PD Deficiency," The Medicine Forum: Vol. 23, Article 13.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29046/TMF.023.1.012
Available at: https://jdc.jefferson.edu/tmf/vol23/iss1/13