Rh Disease
Rh disease is known as hemolytic (having to do with the blood) disease of the newborn (erythroblastosis fetalis). Rh refers to the Rh system (antigen groups include C, D, E) on blood cells and specifically the D-antigen. Rh disease develops when antibodies form in an individual with Rh-negative (lack of D-antigen) blood after exposure to red blood cells that have a D-antigen (Rh-positive) within the blood. Antibodies are cells of the immune system that identify other cells or compounds in the body or blood that the immune system perceives as dangerous. Among racial groups, the Rh-negative blood group is more common among whites (15%) than African Americans (5–8%) or Asians/Native Americans (1–2%).
Rh disease has a wide variety of presentations from mild hemolysis (anemia caused by the breakdown of red blood cells) to hydrops fetalis (a severe, life-threatening problem of severe edema [swelling] in the fetus and newborn). An Rh-negative woman during her first pregnancy will probably...
Keywords
Exchange Transfusion Reticulocyte Count Chorionic Villus Sampling Hemolytic Disease Blood Exchange TransfusionSuggested Reading
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- 2.Gabbe, S. G., Niebyl, J. R., & Simpson, J. L. (Eds.). (2002). Rh disease. Obstetrics, normal and problem pregnancies (pp. 893–915). New York: Churchill Livingstone.Google Scholar
- 3.Stockman, J. A. (2001). Overview of the state of the art in Rh disease: History, current clinical management, and recent progress. Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, 23(8), 554–562.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar