Hereditary Methemoglobinemia Research Paper

Hereditary methemoglobinemia is most commonly referred to as "the blue people disease" or "met-h". It is believed that this disease started in Kentucky with the blue Fugates of troublesome creek. It was started about six generations ago with a man named Martin Fugate. He was a French orphan. Martin came here with his red-headed American bride (Elizabeth Smith). Her skin was as pale as pale could get. They had seven children, four of them are believed to have blue colored skin. The clan of them kept multiplying. Fugates married Fugates and sometimes they even married first cousins. The Fugates lived in isolation with the Combses, Smiths, Ritchies, and Stacys; so it was natural when the boy married the girl next door (even if she had the same
The only way a person can be infected with hereditary methemoglobinemia is if both of their parents had it. That is why it is called hereditary methemoglobinemia. There are two types of it, type one and type two. Most hereditary cases are type two. (Type one is for cases that are caused my chemicals.)

The most noticeable symptom of hereditary methemoglobinemia is a bluish tint to the skin and mucous membranes. There are also other symptoms. Such as, but not limited to mental retardation, developmental delay, failure to thrive, seizures and other neurologic problems. The person may also have poor growth and weight gain. Many children who inherit this disease die during infancy. Symptoms can range from mild to life threatening. The severity increases as the metHB in the blood increases. If the number of metHB in the blood is less that ten percent, there are usually no symptoms what so ever. But if there is more that fifteen- percent lack of oxygen to the brain may occur. And worst case is if there is more that sixty- percent because then death can occur. The normal person has about two