The erroneous haemoglobin-hyperlipidaemia relationship

Area of Science:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Hematology

Background:

• Hyperlipidaemia, a condition of elevated blood lipid levels, can be primary or secondary to treatments like parenteral nutrition.
• Spectrophotometric measurement of haemoglobin is a standard clinical laboratory test.

Observation:

• Intravenous lipid emulsions used in parenteral feeding can lead to hyperlipidaemia.
• Previous reports suggested a potential impact on haemoglobin measurements, but the relationship was not fully elucidated.

Findings:

• This study presents evidence that hyperlipidaemia causes an erroneously high haemoglobin level when measured spectrophotometrically.
• A correlation exists between the magnitude of the false haemoglobin rise and the specific type and severity of hyperlipidaemia.

Implications:

• Clinicians should be aware of this spectrophotometric interference when interpreting haemoglobin levels in patients with hyperlipidaemia.
• Further research may be needed to develop methods to correct for this interference in laboratory diagnostics.