Skip to main content
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1965 Jan;18(1):119–120. doi: 10.1136/jcp.18.1.119

The direct antiglobulin (Coombs) test in megaloblastic anaemia

J Forshaw 1, Lilian Harwood 1
PMCID: PMC472844  PMID: 14247693

Abstract

Folic acid deficiency with the picture of a megaloblastic bone marrow may develop in haemolytic anaemia, and, on the other hand, both vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiency may produce signs of haemolysis. As the correct interpretation of a positive antiglobulin reaction associated with megaloblastic erythropoiesis is particularly important, the effect of deficiency of vitamin B12 and folic acid on the results of the test was investigated in 32 patients with vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency and a positive antiglobulin reaction was obtained in ten. There was no correlation between the result of the test and the degree of anaemia, and there was no significant difference between the incidence of positive results associated with deficiency of vitamin B12 or folic acid. In determining the significance of a positive result, the time interval before agglutination occurs is sometimes of greater value than the strength of the reaction or the result of the gamma globulin neutralization test.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ANDERSON B., BELCHER E. H., CHANARIN I., MOLLIN D. L. The urinary and faecal excretion of radioactivity after oral doses of H3-folic acid. Br J Haematol. 1960 Oct;6:439–455. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1960.tb06262.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. CHANARIN I., DACIE J. V., MOLLIN D. L. Folic-acid deficiency in haemolytic anaemia. Br J Haematol. 1959 Jul;5:245–256. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1959.tb04032.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. DACIE J. V. Occurrences in normal human sera of 'incomplete' forms of 'cold' auto-antibodies. Nature. 1950 Jul 1;166(4209):36–36. doi: 10.1038/166036a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. KOHN J., MOLLIN D. L., ROSENBACH L. M. Conventional voltage electrophoresis for formiminoglutamic-acid determination in folic acid deficiency. J Clin Pathol. 1961 Jul;14:345–350. doi: 10.1136/jcp.14.4.345. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. MATTHEWS D. M. Observations on the estimation of serum vitamin B12 using Lactobacillus leichmannii. Clin Sci. 1962 Feb;22:101–111. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. SCHILLING R. F. Intrinsic factor studies II. The effect of gastric juice on the urinary excretion of radioactivity after the oral administration of radioactive vitamin B12. J Lab Clin Med. 1953 Dec;42(6):860–866. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. SELWYN J. G., ALEXANDER S. S. A positive Coombs reaction in pernicious anemia. Br Med J. 1951 Mar 17;1(4706):564–565. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.4706.564. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES