抄録
A 69 year-old female having a history of longstanding constipation had taken “Nosin” containing acetanilid because of headache for 10 years. She had noted angina-like precordial pain for 5 years. Three years prior to admission cyanosis in her face developed. Blood examination on admission showed RBC 286×104, reticulocytes 32‰, WBC 4500 with a normal differential and erythroid hyperplasia of the bone marrow.
There was a spectrophotometric absorption at 617 millimicron in hemolysate which did not change by an addition of potassium cyanide, suggesting that she had sulfhemoglobinemia. Sulfhemoglobin content was 1.19 gm/dl (14.2%) whereas methemoglobin was 0.23 gm/dl. Three months after discontinuation of acetanilid, precordial pain, cyanosis and anemia disappeared and the spectrophotometric absorption of sulfhemoglobin was no more detected.
Eleven cases of sulfhemoglobinemia previously reported in Japan were briefly reviewed in comparison with the present case.
