Which serum appearance is typical of lipemic serum?

Which serum appearance is typical of lipemic serum?

• A. Yellow
• B. Milky
• C. Red
• D. Clear

Answer: (B)

Lipemic serum appears milky and turbid because there is an excess of lipids in the blood, mainly triglycerides carried in chylomicrons and VLDL. This lipid-rich suspension scatters light, giving the serum a cloudy, opaque, or creamy look, sometimes with a distinct top layer. Yellow would suggest icterus from bilirubin, red would indicate hemolysis, and clear would be normal serum without excess lipids. So the milky appearance is the hallmark of lipemia, and it’s important to recognize because it can interfere with many laboratory assays that rely on light transmission.

Lipemic serum appears milky and turbid because there is an excess of lipids in the blood, mainly triglycerides carried in chylomicrons and VLDL. This lipid-rich suspension scatters light, giving the serum a cloudy, opaque, or creamy look, sometimes with a distinct top layer. Yellow would suggest icterus from bilirubin, red would indicate hemolysis, and clear would be normal serum without excess lipids. So the milky appearance is the hallmark of lipemia, and it’s important to recognize because it can interfere with many laboratory assays that rely on light transmission.