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Glite Dictionary
carotenemia

carotenemia

9.9
Yellowish skin that appears after eating a lot of carrots or sweet potatoes
  • noun
  • /ˌkærəˈtiːniə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : carotenemia
  • A diet extremely high in carrots and sweet potatoes can sometimes lead to carotenemia.

Examples

  • The doctor diagnosed the child's yellowish skin as carotenemia rather than jaundice.

  • Although harmless, carotenemia can alarm patients who mistake it for a more serious condition.

  • The doctor diagnosed her with carotenemia after noticing her yellow skin.

  • Children can develop carotenemia if they eat too many carrots.

  • Eating a lot of carrots can lead to carotenemia, a condition where the skin turns yellow due to excess carotene.

  • After she increased her carrot intake, her doctor informed her that she had carotenemia, which was harmless and caused a yellow tint to her skin.

  • He was surprised to learn that his yellow complexion was a sign of carotenemia from eating too many foods high in carotenoids.

Synonyms

xanthosis
vscarotenemia
  • Specialized
1 9.9

Skin becomes yellow because of some illnesses

is specific to excess carotene in blood rather than any disease
xanthemia
vscarotenemia
  • Specialized
9.9

Skin turns yellow-orange because of too much carotene from foods like carrots or sweet potatoes

is the same condition but causes stronger yellow or reddish skin

Surface Forms

carotenemia singular
carotenemias plural

Morphology

carotenemia = carotene (semi-transparent) = carotene + emia

The relation to 'carotene' is clear, but the medical combining form '-emia' (indicating a blood condition) is specialized and may not be transparent to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

The word carotenemia comes from carotene, the orange pigment in carrots, and the ending -emia, which means 'in the blood'. So carotenemia is when too much carrot pigment gets into the blood and makes the skin turn yellow or reddish.