Question
Do children of AB and O-type blood couples prone to hemolytic disease? I am O-type blood and my husband is AB-type. A friend who just had a baby said that our children are prone to hemolytic disease because of our blood types. Is this true? I am very worried and hope experts can give me some advice.
Answer
Disease Analysis: Hello, when an O-type blood woman marries a man with A, B, or AB blood type, the child may have A, B, or O-type blood. If the child’s blood type is A or B, neonatal hemolytic disease may occur, but in most cases, newborns do not get sick even if the mother and fetus have incompatible blood types. This is related to the strength of the father’s blood type antigen and the permeability of the placenta. If your husband is AB-type blood, it is recommended that you check the concentration of anti-A and anti-B antibodies in your blood at the obstetrics department. If the titer is greater than 1:32, it should be taken seriously. The severity of this condition varies greatly from person to person. Generally, symptoms of ABO incompatibility are less severe than those of Rh incompatibility. The affected baby often shows jaundice within 24 hours or the next day after birth and rapidly worsens. As jaundice deepens, anemia and enlargement of the liver and spleen may occur.