39-Year-Old Man’s Blood Turned ‘Milk-Colored’: Here are the Reasons

In February 2019, one rare condition blood condition was reported. Specifically, the blood of a 39-year-old was found to be thin and with fat. 

Because of this, his doctors reportedly need to draw blood manually. This was a practice also called "bloodletting" that would help save the man's life. 

According to the report, the 29-year-old rushed to the emergency department after he experienced "headaches, nausea, vomiting, and decreased alertness."

The man, the case report indicated, had diabetes and was taking several medicines as a treatment to his condition. However, the patient, also according to the report which came out last year in Annals of Internal Medicine journal, was reportedly not regularly taking his medicines for the said illness.

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Extremely High Triglyceride Levels

As indicated in the journal, the man lost consciousness and required a "breathing tube," so he could breathe.

Tests showed that the patient had extremely high triglyceride levels in his blood. Triglycerides are a type of fat. The National Institute of Health said, 'Triglyceride levels lower than 150 milligrams per deciliter are considered normal."

Meanwhile, triglyceride levels, which are "above 500 mg/dL," NIH continued, "are considered very high." As for the man's condition, his triglyceride levels were recorded at over "14,000 mg/dL."

Because of the extremely high levels of the man's triglycerides, the said 2019 study authors, Dr. Matthias Kochanek and Dr. Philipp Koehler said, the color of the man's blood turned "milky."

'Ketoacidosis'

Such high triglyceride levels, medical experts explained, can lead to inflammation or infection of the pancreas, also known as "pancreatitis," a potentially severe condition.

Undoubtedly the test revealed that the man had exceedingly high pancreatic enzyme levels, a possible sigh of the said condition.

Additionally, tests also showed that the man experienced "diabetic ketoacidosis," a possibly "life-threatening complication" of his illness that typically takes place when a human's body "breaks down fat" at a rapid rate. 

This rapid rate then, NIH explained, can result in an accumulation of acids in the blood, which is called Ketones.

Furthermore, according to health experts, ketoacidosis occurs because of the body's inability or failure to produce adequate insulin, a hormone that helps glucose enter into cells so that it can function as fuel.

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'Plasmapheresis'

When an individual has excessively high levels of triglyceride, doctors can use a mechanism that will filter the fat from the blood. This process is called "plasmapheresis." 

However, the doctor's treating the man in the case report tried the said process, but the machine turned clogged because of the very high levels of blood fat.

For the second time, the doctors tried the plasmapheresis, but again, the report indicated, "The machine clogged still."

Their next solution: bloodletting. The doctors drew one liter of blood from the man and replaced it with plasma and red blood cells, which came from a donor. 

As a result, there came a decrease in the patient's triglyceride levels that prompted the doctors to withdraw one more litter of blood, this time, replacing what was drawn with fluids.

After two days, the triglyceride levels of the man turned low enough for the machine used for plasmapheresis to function minus the clogging. 

After five days, the breathing tube was removed from the patient, and reportedly, he no longer had any experience "lingering neurological symptoms."

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