Hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) is a blood disorder in a fetus or newborn infant. In some infants, it can be fatal.
Normally, red blood cells (RBCs) last for about 120 days in the body. In this disorder, RBCs in the blood are destroyed quickly and thus do not last as long.
Hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN); Erythroblastosis fetalis; Anemia - HDN; Blood incompatibility - HDN; ABO incompatibility - HDN; Rh incompatibility - HDN
During pregnancy, RBCs from the unborn baby can cross into the mother's blood through the placenta. HDN occurs when the immune system of the mother sees a baby's RBCs as foreign. Antibodies then develop against the baby's RBCs. These antibodies attack the RBCs in the baby's blood and cause them to break down too early.
HDN may develop when a mother and her unborn baby have different blood types. The types are based on small substances (antigens) on the surface of the blood cells.
There is more than one way in which the unborn baby's blood type may not match the mother's.
HDN can destroy the newborn baby's blood cells very quickly, which can cause symptoms such as:
Infants with HDN may be treated with:
Teresa Sparks is an Obstetrics and Gynecologist and a Neonatologist in Fremont, California. Sparks has been practicing medicine for over 14 years and is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn. She is also highly rated in 14 other conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Fetal Edema, Hydrops Fetalis, Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn, and Alpha Thalassemia. She is licensed to treat patients in California. Sparks is currently accepting new patients.
Vinod Bhutani is a Neonatologist in Palo Alto, California. Bhutani is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn. He is also highly rated in 5 other conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Transient Familial Hyperbilirubinemia, Bilirubin Encephalopathy, Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn, and Hemolysis. He is licensed to treat patients in California.
Steven Shapiro is a Neurologist and a Child Neurologist in Kansas City, Missouri. Shapiro has been practicing medicine for over 48 years and is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn. He is also highly rated in 2 other conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn, Newborn Jaundice, Neurotoxicity Syndromes, and Drug Induced Dyskinesia. He is licensed to treat patients in Missouri and Kansas. Shapiro is currently accepting new patients.
The severity of this condition can vary. Some babies have no symptoms. In other cases, problems such as hydrops can cause the baby to die before, or shortly after, birth. Severe HDN may be treated before birth by intrauterine blood transfusions.
The most severe form of this disease, which is caused by Rh incompatibility, can be prevented if the mother is tested during pregnancy. If needed, she is given a shot of a medicine called RhoGAM at certain times during and after her pregnancy. If you have had a baby with this disease, talk with your health care provider if you plan to have another baby.
Summary: The primary purpose of the study is to characterize the current standard of care, clinical course, and outcomes of pregnant women and their offspring at high risk for early onset severe hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (EOS-HDFN).
Summary: To evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of antibodies screening in cord blood for detection of HDN. To help finding the antigen negative blood in a timely manner and reduce the morbidities and mortalities of HDN
Published Date: November 09, 2021
Published By: Kimberly G. Lee, MD, MSc, IBCLC, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Josephson CD, Sloan SR. Pediatric transfusion medicine. In: Hoffman R, Benz EJ, Silberstein LE, et al, eds. Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 121.
Niss O, Ware RE. Blood disorders. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 124.
Simmons PM, Magann EF. Immune and non-immune hydrops fetalis. In: Martin RJ, Fanaroff AA, Walsh MC, eds. Fanaroff and Martin's Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine: Diseases of the Fetus and Infant. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 23.