Fatal acute haemolysis and methaemoglobinaemia in a man with renal failure and Alkaptonuria – Is nitisinone the solution?

Haemolysis and methaemoglobinaemia (MetHb) are rare metabolic complications that can occur in Alkaptonuria (AKU), for which there is no curative treatment. Presented is a case of a man who had AKU, and serves as a reminder of life-threatening complications that can occur with haemolysis and MetHb. T...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: A.S. Davison, E. Luangrath, E. Selvi, L.R. Ranganath
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2020-06-01
Series:Molecular Genetics and Metabolism Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214426920300343
Description
Summary:Haemolysis and methaemoglobinaemia (MetHb) are rare metabolic complications that can occur in Alkaptonuria (AKU), for which there is no curative treatment. Presented is a case of a man who had AKU, and serves as a reminder of life-threatening complications that can occur with haemolysis and MetHb. This case presents an opportunity to revisit important considerations relating to the investigation and treatment of haemolysis and MetHb with a view to raising awareness, and in doing so hopefully reducing the uniformly fatal outcome. Additionally it is proposed that treatment of haemolysis and MetHb with nitisinone is considered as a potentially lifesaving treatment as it is believed that reducing the concentration of circulating homogentisic acid will reduce oxidative stress.
ISSN:2214-4269