Question

What should be taken into consideration when a newborn has hemolytic disease?

Answer

Newborns with hemolytic disease should pay attention to the following:

  1. Conduct blood biochemical examinations: Check for the number of red blood cells, hemoglobin levels, and the increase of reticulocytes, and observe the number of nucleated red blood cells in the blood count. These blood indicators will vary according to the severity of the hemolysis.
  2. Perform blood type tests: In cases of Rh incompatibility, using horse serum to determine ABO blood type may lead to misdiagnosis. When there is an unexplained suspicion, consider the possibility of this disease and switch to human serum for ABO blood type determination.