title: Hemolytic disease in the newborn - history and prevention in the world and the Czech Republic.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hemolytic disease in the newborn with its typical signs and poor prognosis has been known for centuries. Historically it can be divided into three pathological states which are fetal hydrops (hydrops fetus universalis), neonatal jaundice (icterus neonati gravis familiaris) and fetal anemia (anemia neonati). Almost 70 reports with quite accurate descriptions were found up to the end of 19th century. The patho physiological basis of the condition began to be studied at the beginning of the last century and the development of our knowledge is an example of the cooperation between pathologists, pediatricians, hematologists and later, obstetricians, immunologists and geneticists. Despite all the advances in this field it remains a serious disease up to this time. It is not managed successfully in all cases and despite successful immunological prophylaxis there are cases when we need to administer intrauterine transfusion based on the information received by dopplerometric measurement of arteria cerebri perfusion and fetal blood sampling.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review of lover cited literature.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The history of the hemolytic disease in the newborn, its condition and approaches to it has not been recently compiled in the Czech Republic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics and Fetal Medicine, Palacky University Olomouc, Czech Republic. jiri.santavy@fnol.cz
authors.forename: Jiri
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Santavy
mesh_terms: D018153:Czech Republic; D004899:Erythroblastosis, Fetal / Q000266:history* / Q000517:prevention & control; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn