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Cryoglobulin, Serum

Test Codes

EPIC: LAB5828, SOFT: CRYOG

Department

Special Chemistry

Instructions

• Blood must only be collected Monday – Friday, 6:00 am – 3:00 pm.
• Ideally patients should be fasting for 9-12 hours prior to blood collection, however this is not absolutely essential and non-fasting samples will be accepted.
• Blood must be collected at the Dearborn, Farmington Hills, Grosse Pointe, Royal Oak, Taylor, Trenton, Troy or Wayne hospitals campuses. It should NOT be collected at any other Beaumont Lab draw site.
  

Specimen Collection Criteria

Collect: Two plain Red-top tubes, pre-warmed and transported at 37°C.
If cryoglobulin identification is required, collect three pre-warmed, plain Red-top tubes.

Rejection Criteria

Samples not kept at 37°C from the time of collection to receipt in the Laboratory. 

Severely hemolyzed, lipemic or icteric specimens. 

Inpatient Specimen Preparation

Royal Oak

• Blood must only be collected Monday – Friday, 6:00 am – 3:00 pm.
• Samples will only be accepted when obtained in the Royal Oak Hospital, the MOB, Imaging Center, or Cancer Center Labs.
• Blood collection tubes must be placed into a thermos bottle with a warm pack at 
  37°C. The thermos should be obtained from Special Testing (extension 18044).
• Specimen must be delivered through the pneumatic tube system in a thermos bottle with warm pack at 37°C.

Troy

• After the specimen is drawn it should be immediately placed in a 37°C dry heating block and immediately transported to the Laboratory.

Dearborn, Farmington Hills, Grosse Pointe, Trenton, Taylor & Wayne

• Five minutes before drawing the blood, break the seal on the infant heel warmer, wrap it around a Red-top tube/vacutainer, and place into an orange capped container to warm.
• After blood collection, break the seal on a second infant heel warmer, and place the new infant warmer into the container.
• After the specimen is delivered to the Laboratory it should be immediately placed in a 37°C water bath and allowed to fully clot. Once fully clotted transfer the serum into a sendout tube and route to Royal Oak either at room temperature or refrigerated. 

Laboratory

Royal Oak Special Chemistry Laboratory

Performed

Collected: Monday – Friday, 6:00 am – 3:00 pm.
Results available in 7 days.

Reference Range

Negative.

Test Methodology

Manual.

Interpretation

Cryoglobulins are proteins (usually immunoglobulins) which precipitate in blood at temperatures below core body temperature. In-vitro precipitation may occur at temperatures greater than 25°C; such cryoglobulins are likely to be the most clinically significant and may not be identified if the blood sample is not processed correctly. The routine testing for cryoglobulins yields a qualitative result of positive or negative. If a cryoglobulin is present in sufficient amounts it is possible to identify the cryoglobulin (by special request).

Cryoglobulins are divided into 3 types. Type I is a monoclonal protein usually associated with a lymphoproliferative disorder, e.g. multiple myeloma. Type II is a combination of an IgM monoclonal protein and polyclonal immunoglobulins (usually IgG). This type is associated with hepatitis C, hepatitis B, autoimmune disorders and Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia. Type III cryoglobulin is a mixture of polyclonal immunoglobulins (usually IgG and IgM) and is associated with a variety of disorders including autoimmune diseases.

In addition to signs and symptoms of the underlying disorder, cryoglobulinemia may be associated with vascular disease, e.g. purpura, digital necrosis, Raynaud's phenomenon.

Clinical Utility

This assay may aid in the investigation of vasculitis, glomerulonephritis, lymphoproliferative disease, purpura and polyarthralgias.

CPT Codes

82595
LOINC: 12207-7

Contacts

Last Updated

5/10/2023