Positive Antiglobulin Tests in Patients Maintained on Methadone

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Abstract
Antiglobulin tests (AGT) and other immunologic parameters were studied in a group of 80 drug addicts before and after they entered a methadone maintenance program. The postmethadone incidence of direct AGT was 85 per cent in contrast to a premethadone incidence of 8.9 per cent. Of eluates prepared from direct AGT positive samples, 17.6 per cent gave positive hemagglutination reaction against red blood cells treated with methadone. Immunoelectrophoresis of the same samples did not reveal any specific class of immunoglobulins. The incidence and intensity of positive AGT did not correlate with either the total dose of or duration of methadone therapy. No hemolytic anemia was demonstrated in this group of patients. The recognition of this laboratory phenomenon is important in pretransfusion compatibility testing.