Rh-induced hemolytic disease of the newborn

Rh incompatibility can cause symptoms ranging from very mild to deadly. In its mildest form, Rh incompatibility causes the destruction of red blood cells.

After birth, the infant may have:

• Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
• Low muscle tone (hypotonia) and lethargy

Before delivery, the mother may have an increased amount of amniotic fluid around her unborn baby (polyhydramnios).

There may be:

• A positive direct Coombs test result
• Higher-than-normal levels of bilirubin in the baby's umbilical cord blood
• Signs of red blood cell destruction in the infant's blood

Images

Jaundice infant

Antibodies

Erythroblastosis fetalis, photomicrograph

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Rh incompatibility Overview

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Rh incompatibility Treatment

Review Date: 02/10/2011
Reviewed By: Kimberly G Lee, MD, MSc, IBCLC, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)