Journal of Blood Medicine (Mar 2023)
Congenital Methemoglobinemia: First Confirmed Case in the Arab Population with a Novel Variant in the CYB5R Gene in the State of Qatar: A Case Report
Abstract
Abdulrahman Al-Abdulmalek,1,* Reem Al-Sulaiman,2,* Mohammad Abu-Tineh,2,* Mohamed A Yassin2,* 1Department of Internal Medicine, Hamad Medical Cooperation, Doha, Qatar; 2Department of Medical Oncology/Hematology, National Center for Cancer Care and Research, Doha, Qatar*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Mohammad Abu-Tineh, Department of Oncology/Hematology and BMT, National Center for Cancer Care and Research, Hamad Medical Corporation, Alrayan Road, Doha, Qatar, Tel +97455003969, Email [email protected]: Methemoglobinemia (MetHb) is a rare hematological condition characterized by high methemoglobin levels in the blood. It happens when hemoglobin is oxidized, resulting in hypoxia and cyanosis, which may occur in inherited or acquired forms. Inherited or congenital methemoglobinemia is a rare autosomal recessive condition and has never been reported in the Arab population. Here we report a case of a 22-year-old Arab man with a positive family history who presented with bluish discoloration of the fingers and lips and was found to have methemoglobinemia. Genetic study on the patient and his family revealed compound heterozygous variants in the CYB5R3 Exon 5 c.431G>A p.Gly144Asp likely pathogenic variant and CYB5R3 Exon 9 c.871G>A p.Val291Met variant of unknown significance. We suggest that the novel c.871G>A p.Val291Met variant could be causative for methemoglobinemia.Keywords: methemoglobinemia, Arab, Qatar
