NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partner university faculty. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Bleeding and Clotting Disorders
Abnormal blood color
I wrote the question about extremely dark venous blood. I was unable to find much information online about methemoglobinemia. Is there a blood test for the inherited type? I do have chronic illnesses as well as severe hypercoagulopathy. The dark blood color was first noticed in early adulthood (when I was healthy and took no meds) and has gradually worsened with age and deteriorating health. I`d like to rule out anything that might be a contributing factor. Thank you for taking time to respond.
Methemoglobinemia, especially the inherited or congenital form is very rare, and you would have known about it a long time ago more than likely. Other than drugs that can trigger it, there's really no other reason to suspect it. There really are no other blood disorders that would cause the blood to look darker, or get darker over time.
Spero R Cataland, MD
Associate Professor of Clinical Internal Medicine
College of Medicine
The Ohio State University