Jaundice is described as which condition?

• A. Yellow Plasma
• B. Blue Plasma
• C. Green Plasma
• D. Colorless Plasma

Answer: (A)

Jaundice is the yellowing that results from an excess of bilirubin in the blood, so the plasma takes on a yellow tint (icteric plasma). Bilirubin is the yellow pigment produced when red blood cells are broken down, and when it isn’t cleared properly, it accumulates in the blood and tissues, giving that characteristic yellow color. Normal plasma is a pale straw color, but with jaundice its color shifts toward yellow because of the bilirubin buildup.

Blue plasma would point to other conditions affecting blood pigments like methemoglobinemia, while green plasma is not the typical presentation of jaundice and can occur from different pigments in other contexts. Colorless plasma would indicate no bilirubin pigment present.