cold agglutinin disease
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to cold agglutinin disease: cold antibody
cold agglutinin disease
Cold agglutinin syndrome Clinical immunology An immune disorder characterized by IgM autoantibodies that optimally agglutinate RBCs at very low temperatures–eg, 4ºC; low titers–< 1:32 of cold agglutinins–CAs are detectable in many normal subjects; polyclonal CAs ↑ after certain infections–eg, mycoplasma, CMV, EBV, trypanosomiasis, and malaria, peak in 2-3 wks and are insignificant if non-hemolytic; CAs may occur in any Pt with acquired hemolytic anemia and a positive direct Coomb's test; certain antibodies have been implicated–eg, anti-I, -i, -Pr, -Gd, Sda. See Autoantibody. Cf 'Room temps. '.McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
cold agglutinin disease
Any of a group of disorders marked by hemolytic anemia, obstruction of the microcirculation, or both. It is caused by agglutination of red blood cells by immunoglobulins that precipitate at cool or cold temperatures. The most common symptom is Raynaud's phenomenon. Cold agglutinin disease often occurs transiently after infection with Mycoplasma pneumoniae or Epstein-Barr virus. Often the cause is idiopathic.
Medical Dictionary, © 2009 Farlex and Partners