Which parameter is most likely affected by lipemia?

Which parameter is most likely affected by lipemia?

• A. Hemoglobin
• B. Hematocrit
• C. White blood cell count
• D. Platelet count

Answer: (A)

Lipemia creates turbidity in plasma that scatters light and adds background absorbance, which most strongly affects measurements that rely on photometry. Hemoglobin determination is typically done using a colorimetric method (such as converting Hb to cyanmethemoglobin and measuring absorbance). The lipemic turbidity interferes with this optical measurement, often producing a falsely elevated hemoglobin reading. The other parameters are typically measured by methods less susceptible to turbidity or are driven by cell counting techniques that are not as directly affected by lipemia, so they don’t show as pronounced interference in this context.

Lipemia creates turbidity in plasma that scatters light and adds background absorbance, which most strongly affects measurements that rely on photometry. Hemoglobin determination is typically done using a colorimetric method (such as converting Hb to cyanmethemoglobin and measuring absorbance). The lipemic turbidity interferes with this optical measurement, often producing a falsely elevated hemoglobin reading. The other parameters are typically measured by methods less susceptible to turbidity or are driven by cell counting techniques that are not as directly affected by lipemia, so they don’t show as pronounced interference in this context.