Question
I went for a blood type test when I was one month pregnant to prevent hemolytic disease. I want to know what neonatal hemolytic disease is?
Answer
Neonatal hemolytic disease is primarily related to the blood types of the parents. When there is an incompatibility between the ABO blood types of the mother and baby, it may lead to neonatal ABO hemolytic disease. This is an alloimmune hemolysis where, if fetal red blood cells enter the mother’s body during pregnancy or delivery, and if the blood types are incompatible, the mother will produce corresponding antibodies. The main symptoms include edema, jaundice, anemia, and enlargement of the liver and spleen. The severity of the symptoms depends on the amount of antibodies, the maturity of the neonate, and their compensatory hematopoietic ability.