- This is a disorder in which RBCs – in their own serum or in other serum – clump together (agglutinate) in response to slight cooling (below 86° F it’s <30c). The clumping is caused by a group of antibodies called agglutinins. Cold agglutinins may be present in elderly people or may be due to infections such as those causing atypical pneumonia or infectious mononucleosis. The agglutination may be mild and transient or may progress into a disease called “cold antibody disease” or “cold agglutinin disease”. Hemolysis, hemoglobinuria, and hemosiderinuria may be present.
- The presence of cold agglutinins in the blood is likely to cause discrepancies in the results of blood tests.