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Positive direct antiglobulin test due to antiphospholipid antibodies in normal healthy blood donors
N Win1, S I Islam, M A Peterkin
1Department of Immunohaematology, National Blood Service, South Thames, London, UK.
Objectives:
Positive direct antiglobulin tests (DAT) occur occasionally, without obvious cause, among normal blood donors. This is sometimes associated with a false-positive serologic test for syphilis. Positive DATs due to antiphospholipid antibodies (APAbs) are well documented in the antiphospholipid syndrome with systemic lupus erythematosus and the primary antiphospholipid syndrome.
Methods:
Using conventional haematologic and serologic methods, we tested 474,545 normal blood donors in the west of Scotland during the years 1991 through 1993.
Results:
We identified 42 normal blood donors with a positive DAT and observed three who had positive DATs and false-positive VDRL tests, all of whom expressed raised APAbs.
Conclusion:
APAbs may be an incidental cause of positive DATs among healthy blood donors.