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Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn
Hemolytic disease of the newborn is the maternal response to the fetus during pregnancy.
Symptoms
Pathophysiology
Maternal alloimmunization results in antibody transfer to the fetus.
Types
Rh blood group
The commonest cause of HDN.
IgM is the initial response, with IgG a secondary, irreversible response.
Titres can increase with further exposure.
Causes and Risk Factors
There is normally a small amount of fetal-to-maternal transfer of blood during all trimesters.
Maternal sensitization to fetal proteins can occur via:
- exposure to antigenically dissilmilar fetal RBC's
- blood transfusion
- needle sharing
Treatments