What is cold agglutinin test for?
Test Overview A cold agglutinins blood test is done to check for conditions that cause the body to make certain types of antibodies called cold agglutinins. Cold agglutinins are normally made by the immune system in response to infection. They cause red blood cells to clump together (agglutinate) at low temperatures.
What is an agglutinin or antibody?
An agglutinin is a substance in the blood that causes particles to coagulate and aggregate; that is, to change from fluid-like state to a thickened-mass (solid) state. Agglutinins can be antibodies that cause antigens to aggregate by binding to the antigen-binding sites of antibodies.
Why would a patient with a positive cold agglutinin test be tested?
The cold agglutinins test may be done to: See whether high cold agglutinin levels are causing autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Find pneumonia caused by mycoplasma. Over half of people with pneumonia caused by mycoplasma develop an increase in cold agglutinin levels in their blood within a week of being infected.
What happens when a patient with cold agglutinin body temperature falls?
Cold agglutinins are particular cold-reactive antibodies that react with red blood cells when the blood temperature drops below normal body temperature causing increased blood viscosity and red blood cell clumping.
What is cold agglutinin?
Cold agglutinins – Cold agglutinins are antibodies that recognize antigens on red blood cells (RBCs) at temperatures below normal core body temperature. They can cause agglutination of the RBCs (picture 1) and extravascular hemolysis, resulting in anemia, typically without hemoglobinuria.
Where do you find agglutinin?
agglutinin, substance that causes particles to congeal in a group or mass, particularly a typical antibody that occurs in the blood serums of immunized and normal human beings and animals.
What is a cold agglutinin?
What is primary cold agglutinin disease?
Cold agglutinin disease (CAD) is a condition that makes your body’s immune system attack your red blood cells and destroy them. It’s triggered by cold temperatures, and it can cause problems that range from dizziness to heart failure. It’s also called cold antibody hemolytic anemia.
What is the treatment for cold agglutinin disease?
Medical treatments for cold agglutinin disease include rituximab (Rituxan), a drug that is an antibody that selectively reduces specific types of immune cells). The effects of treatment with rituximab can last up to 2 years.
Is cold agglutinin normal?
Test Overview Healthy people generally have low levels of cold agglutinins in their blood. But lymphoma or some infections, such as mycoplasma pneumonia, can cause the level of cold agglutinins to rise. Higher-than-normal levels of cold agglutinins generally do not cause serious problems.