Is this true?Īnswer: Your nurse is correct with respect to the potential effect of high triglycerides in the blood, plasma, or serum. Question: The nurse taking my blood said that high triglycerides cause the blood to have a milky appearance and liver problems cause a yellow cast. Seek immediate help if you are experiencing a medical emergency. If pregnant or nursing, consult with a qualified provider on an individual basis. Drugs, supplements, and natural remedies may have dangerous side effects. This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and does not substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, and/or dietary advice from a licensed health professional. Keyhole limpet haemocyanin - a model antigen for human immunotoxicological studies from EuropePMC and the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.Translucent blood in Antarctic icefish from EarthSky.Components of the blood (including invertebrate respiratory pigments) from the Concepts in Biology textbook by Charles Monar and Jane Gair.Differences between insect blood and ours from Scientific American.Lizards with green blood from the Smithsonian magazine.A case of sulfhemoglobinemia as described by the BBC.(Red blood cells exist for only about 120 days.) If a person has severe sulfhemoglobinemia, he or she may need a blood transfusion. The abnormal pigment is gradually eliminated as old red blood cells are broken down and new ones with new hemoglobin are made, provided the cause of the damaged pigment is removed. Unlike methemoglobinemia, sulfhemoglobinemia can't be treated with a medication that returns the hemoglobin to normal. It belongs to a group of chemicals known as sulfonamides. Sumatriptan is sometimes known as Imitrex.
For example, a long-term overdose of sumatriptan, a migraine medication, caused one case of green blood discovered by doctors. Sulfhemoglobinemia is usually caused by exposure to high doses of certain medications and chemicals. The altered molecule can't transport oxygen. In this condition, sulfur has joined to the hemoglobin molecules, forming a green chemical called sulfhemoglobin. In humans, a rare condition called sulfhemoglobinemia causes the blood to appear green. Natural nitrates in foods can cause methemoglobinemia in babies if they are eaten in excess.īroccoli is a nutritious food, but it's high in natural nitrates which may contribute to methemoglobinemia in some people. Examples of chemicals that can increase the amount of methemoglobin include benzocaine (an anesthetic), benzene (which is also a carcinogen), nitrites (which are added to deli meats to prevent them from spoiling) and chloroquine (an antimalarial drug). This form of the disorder is said to be acquired and is more common than the inherited condition. It may also be caused by chemicals in medications or food. Methemoglobinemia is sometimes an inherited condition. The high concentration of methemoglobin causes the blood to appear red brown or even chocolate brown. When the iron is in this form, hemoglobin can't transport oxygen and the cells can't make enough energy. In a methemoglobin molecule, the iron has been changed from a form that has a +2 charge to a form that has a +3 charge. It's present in everyone's blood but is normally at a very low level. Methemoglobin has a chocolate-brown color. Methemoglobinemia is a disorder in which too much methemoglobin is made. Light that hits the veins and their deoxygenated blood and then emerges to reach our eyes is more likely to be in the high-energy blue region of the spectrum than in the low-energy red region of the spectrum.
#Spider blood in blood out skin#
The different wavelengths are affected in different ways as they hit the skin and the cells under the surface layer of the skin.
The colors have different wavelengths and energies. "White" light from the sun or an artificial light source is a mixture of all of the colors in the visible spectrum. The blue appearance is caused the behavior of light as it enters and leaves the body through the skin and not by the the blood itself. When we look at the veins close to the surface of our body, such as those on the back of our hands, they do appear to be blue in color. Blood in veins isn't blue, even though in illustrations of the circulatory system the veins are traditionally colored blue. Gray's Anatomy, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain image Color of Blood in VeinsĪll blood in the body is red, although the shade of red varies. Veins are usually colored blue in illustrations. Veins on the back of the hand show up more clearly as we age due to tissue loss and other changes.