Beijing, August 06: A premature baby girl in Hubei Children’s Hospital surprised the medical staff when her blood turned out to be pink in colour, instead of red.
A report in media said that the 40-day-old infant had appeared to be in healthy condition at a local hospital when she was one-week-old.
However, she displayed some symptoms of illness about two weeks later and was transferred to Hubei, where her blood was discovered to be pink in colour.
The girl was diagnosed with hyperlipidemia, a lung infection, anemia and retinopathy.
Hyperlipidemia is a condition in which there is an excess of fatty substances in the blood. It includes a few conditions, but often refers to high cholesterol and high triglyceride levels.
Hyperlipidemia usually strikes adults, and had not, until now, been documented in newborns.
The pink colour of the baby’s blood is attributed to the high amount of lipids (fatty substances) in it. As the lipids can clog up arteries, it can result in vascular diseases such as heart problems or stroke, or even impair organ function.
According to another report by a Chinese web site, the baby suffers from a congenital metabolic disease, which will be difficult to cure. Doctors can only treat it symptomatically for now.
–Agencies