Platelets: Lipemia

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Example(s) of typical appearance
Example(s) of a change in appearance

Lipemia is the presence of excessive amounts of lipid particles in the blood. Lipemia is not objectively measured; its presence is subjectively identified. Because grossly lipemic blood samples may interfere with infectious disease testing platforms, these units are discarded and are not distributed.   

Causes of lipemia in a platelet unit are donor related and may be related to: 

  • Fatty meals before blood donation 
  • Chronic conditions such as hypercholesterolemia 

Visual appearance 

  • Lipemia may result in a milky white appearance