John Philip Tarburton
National University, USA
Title: Acquired Methemoglobinemia in Diabetics Blood Exposed to Organic Nitrites and Organic Nitrates
Biography
Biography: John Philip Tarburton
Abstract
Acquired methemoglobinemia in diabetics blood may be attributed to the intake of toxins and medications. Specifically organic nitrites such as butyl nitrite and amyl nitrite have been implicated in methemoglobin formation in diabetic patients given these drugs while organic nitrates such as nitroglycerin and isosorbide nitrates have been implicated in methemoglobin formation in diabetic coronary heart disease patients using these nitrates. While these organic nitrates and organic nitrites pose a risk to the general community of causing methemoglobin in both diabetic and nondiabetic alike, recent in vitro oxidation studies of diabetics blood samples by organic nitrites have clearly indicated their blood to be more susceptible to oxidation than non diabetics blood (n=20 and P< 0.05). The results for organic nitrates however did not show these findings. Specifically, diabetics blood treated with nitroglycerin was oxidized at a rate similar to that of nondiabetics (n=15 and P>0.05). Isosorbide mononitrate and isosorbide dinitrate treatment of diabetics blood samples and nondiabetics blood samples revealed no discernable oxidation of hemoglobin into methemoglobin for either group. These studies then reveal that the diabetic population is at greater relative risk of getting methemoglobinemia from organic nitrites than organic nitrates.
