Definition:
Hemolytic disease of the newborn, or erythroblastosis fetalis, is an alloimmune state wherein the IgG antibodies produced by a pregnant mother attack the red blood cells that circulate in the fetus. This condition causes reticulocytosis and anemia. This can be a dreaded disease and can lead to heart failure.
Diagnosis:
The disease can be diagnosed by direct Coombs test, peripheral blood morphology and indirect Coombs test on the mother.
Treatment:
Treatment can be done by intrauterine transfusion before giving birth. After birth treatments include phototherapy, exchange transfusion and correction of acidosis.
Symptoms and Signs:
The symptoms present in this disease are hymolysis, jaundice, enlarged vital organs such as the spleen and liver. The infant may die shortly after birth due to heart failure or respiratory distress.
Causes:
The disease is caused by the mother's exposure to foreign antigens that caused the production of IgG. As opposed to IgM, which doesn't pass through the placenta, IgG antibodies attack even the red blood cells that are present in the fetus. This incident can be due to hemorrhage during pregnancy, abortion, and poorly performed blood transfusion.
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hemolyticdiseaseofthenewborn
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