Information AboutLipaemia |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT LIPAEMIA | |
| chemical pathology | |
| medical tests | |
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Triglycerides in the 400–800 mg/dl range may produce visible lipaemia. CAUSES OF LIPAEMIA Common causes of lipaemia are:
INTERFERENCE WITH LABORATORY TESTING Assays and analysers routinely used for biochemical and haematological laboratory tests can be classified according to how they work:
In lipaemia, chylomicrons and VLDLs are suspended in the blood and scatter light, producing the characteristic cloudiness or turbidity similar to that seen in milk. This suspension interferes with laboratory instrument systems that function based on light detection or scatter ( Turbidimetry and Nephelometry ). The lipid particles also exert a volume effect and can interfere with laboratory assays involving volume displacement. This effect can cause a pseudo-hyponatremia for example. Assays involving the aqueous fraction, such as methods involving ionselective electrodes are not affected by lipaemia. Using optical clot detection methods, as is commonly used in determining prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time, lipemia may result in artificial prolongation of clotting times. Mechanical or electromechanical means of clot detection are not affected by lipemia. TESTS AFFECTED BY LIPAEMIA Lipemia artificially increases values of the following analytes:
Lipaemia artificially decreases values of the following analytes:
DEALING WITH A LIPAEMIC SAMPLE Many instruments employ an optical detection method to measure the optical density of a sample. If a sample is lipaemic and the baseline optical density is too high, the instrument will not report a result. Other techniques will be needed to analyse the sample:
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