Cold agglutinin disease (CAD) is a rare autoimmune hemolytic anemia in which cold-reacting
autoantibodies (cold agglutinins) bind to normal antigens on the surface of red blood cells
during passage through the cooler peripheral circulation. These antibodies cause agglutination
of red blood cells leading to an immune response and premature destruction of the healthy red
blood cells. The authors have written this resource to give clinicians the information they
need to successfully diagnose and manage CAD in adult patients.
