02026nas a2200265   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001000055653003000065653001200095653001100107653001100118653001200129653000900141653002200150653003200172100001400204700001700218245007900235856004100314300001100355490000700366520137300373022001401746       1984                            d  c1984 Dec10aAdult10aCytochrome-B(5) Reductase10aDapsone10aFemale10aHumans10aleprosy10aMale10aMethemoglobinemia10aNADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases1 aMagna L A1 aBeiguelman B00aNADH-methemoglobin reductase and methemoglobinemia among leprosy patients.  uhttp://ila.ilsl.br/pdfs/v52n4a04.pdf  a475-810 v523 a<p>The NADH-methemoglobin reductase activity as well as hemoglobin and methemoglobin levels were investigated in blood samples of 182 adult leprosy patients and 137 Brazilian army enlisted men. The level of sulfones in the blood samples of the leprosy patients, all of them ingesting a daily dose of 100 mg dapsone, was also investigated. The mean value of NADH-methemoglobin reductase activity exhibited by the leprosy patients did not differ from that observed among the healthy individuals. However, the variance of the former group was significantly higher than that observed among the healthy subjects. As a consequence, the proportion of individuals showing a partial deficiency of NADH-methemoglobin reductase was significantly higher among the leprosy patients (22.5%) than among the healthy individuals (2.9%). The activity of this enzyme among the leprosy patients was negatively correlated to the hemoglobin level and slightly positively correlated to age. The concentration of methemoglobin among the leprosy patients was slightly but significantly higher as compared to the healthy individuals. The increase of the methemoglobin level among the leprosy patients was influenced by the amount of sulfones in the blood. However, no case in which dapsone was ingested in a daily dose of 100 mg presented the signs or symptoms of toxic methemoglobinemia.</p>
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