title: Haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn.
abstract: Haemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn (HDFN) is caused by maternal alloimmunization against red blood cell antigens. In severe cases, HDFN may lead to fetal anaemia with a risk for fetal death and to severe forms of neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia with a risk for kernicterus. Most severe cases are caused by anti-D, despite the introduction of antental and postnatal anti-D immunoglobulin prophylaxis. In general, red blood cell antibody screening programmes are aimed to detect maternal alloimmunization early in pregnancy to facilitate the identification of high-risk cases to timely start antenatal and postnatal treatment. In this review, an overview of the clinical relevance of red cell alloantibodies in relation to occurrence of HDFN and recent views on prevention, screening and treatment options of HDFN are provided.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunohaematology Diagnostics, Sanquin Diagnostic Services, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.|Department of Experimental Immunohaematology, Sanquin Research Amsterdam and Landsteiner laboratory, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Haas
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Immunohaematology, Sanquin Research Amsterdam and Landsteiner laboratory, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: F F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Thurik
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Immunohaematology, Sanquin Research Amsterdam and Landsteiner laboratory, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.|Department of General Practice, University Medical Centre, Groningen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Koelewijn
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Immunohaematology, Sanquin Research Amsterdam and Landsteiner laboratory, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: van der Schoot
mesh_terms: D004899:Erythroblastosis, Fetal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D012204:Rh-Hr Blood-Group System
keywords: RBC antigens and antibodies; alloimmunisation in pregnancy; anti-D prophylaxis; fetal genotyping; haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn