The Pan African Medical Journal (Apr 2021)

Cold agglutinins revealed by abnormalities to the cell blood count

  • Hafid Zahid,
  • Rachid Hadef,
  • Faycal Labrini,
  • Anass Yahyaoui,
  • Nezha Messaoudi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2021.38.328.9100
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 38, no. 328

Abstract

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Cold agglutinin are erythrocyte antibodies which possess the property of agglutinating red blood cells at temperatures of below 37°C, this phenomenon is reversible after heating. This is usually immunoglobulin M (IgM) class. Their pathogenicity is much more related to their temperature range of activity than their title. As we report in this observation, cold hemagglutination makes it difficult to interpret certain immunological tests such as ABO Rh blood grouping or searching for irregular antibodies (SAI). The discovery of cold agglutinins can be fortuitous revealing itself by disturbances and aberrations in the results of blood count or as part of a suggestive clinical or laboratory table cold hemagglutinin disease. The search for a lymphoid hematological at their diagnosis should be systematic.

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