Introduction
Hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) is when the red blood cells of your unborn baby (fetus) or newborn are destroyed. This breakdown of red blood cells is called hemolysis. It can lead to low amounts of red blood cells (anemia) and other problems.
What are the causes?
This condition is caused by a chain of blood reactions that begins during a woman's pregnancy. The chain is as follows:
In your first pregnancy, blood of the fetus crosses over into your blood during pregnancy or labor.
A difference in blood types between you and your fetus causes your blood to react to the blood cells of your fetus. This reaction is called sensitization.
When sensitized, your blood produces proteins that attack foreign substances (antibodies). These antibodies stay in your blood.
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The antibodies then attack the red blood cells of your fetus, causing hemolysis.
HDN can occur when your blood type is O and your baby's blood type is either A or B. It can also happen when you are Rh negative and your baby is Rh positive. There are other rare blood type differences that cause HDN.
HDN rarely occurs during the first pregnancy. If a baby is Rh positive, an injection of Rho (D) immune globulin is given to the Rh-negative mother. This will prevent HDN from occurring in future pregnancies. There is no medicine or treatment that prevents HDN from occurring in babies born to parents with other blood types.
What are the signs or symptoms?
Symptoms of this condition depend on how severe the disease is. Your baby's symptoms may
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• Hemolytic disease of the newborn. Hemolytic disease happens when a mother 's disease fighting system (immune system) attacks her baby 's red blood cells. Proteins (antibodies) in the mother’s blood destroy the baby 's red blood cells. Two conditions can cause hemolytic disease:
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is usually first diagnosed in children when they are about 2 years old. A child may
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