Saturday, February, 11, 2012

Febrile/cold agglutinins

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Cold agglutinins; Weil-Felix reaction; Widal's test; Warm agglutinins


Normal Values
  • Warm agglutinins: no agglutination in titers at or below 1:80
  • Cold agglutinins: no agglutination in titers at or below 1:16

Note: Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.


What abnormal results mean

The presence of warm agglutinins may occur with:

  • Infections, including brucellosis, rickettsial disease, salmonella infection, and tularemia
  • Lymphoma
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Use of certain medicines, including methyldopa, penicillin, and quinidine

The presence of cold agglutinins may occur with:

  • Infections, especially Mycoplasma pneumonia
  • Previous viral, staphylococcal, or malaria infection
  • Cancer, including lymphoma and multiple myeloma
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus

Images

Review Date: 04/12/2010
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine; George F Longstreth, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, San Diego, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)