Rh Sensitization

If you are Rh-negative, your red blood cells do not have a marker called Rh factor on them. Rh-positive blood does have this marker. If your blood mixes with Rh-positive blood, your immune system will react to the Rh factor by making antibodies to destroy it. This immune system response is called Rh sensitization.
Prevention
1. RhoGAM
Blood tests
1. Kleihauer–Betke
2. Coombs test
3. Full blood count
4. Bilirubin
Management
1. Antenatal
  1. Serial Ultrasound and Doppler examinations
  2. Quantitative analysis of maternal anti-RhD antibodies
  3. Intrauterine blood transfusion
    1. Intraperitoneal transfusion
    2. Intravascular transfusion
  4. Early delivery
2. Postnatal
  1. Phototherapy
  2. Exchange transfusion
Sensitizing events during pregnancy
1. therapeutic abortion
2. miscarriage
3. amniocentesis
4. c-section
5. external cephalic version
6. abdominal trauma
7. ectopic pregnancy
Degree
1. Mild cases
  1. mild anaemia with reticulocytosis
2. moderate or severe cases
  1. more marked anaemia
  2. erythroblastosis
3. very severe cases
  1. haemolytic disease of the newborn
  2. hydrops fetalis
  3. stillbirth.
Who gets Rh sensitization during pregnancy
1. If the mother is Rh-negative and the father is Rh-positive, there is a good chance the baby will have Rh-positive blood. Rh sensitization can occur.
2. If both parents have Rh-negative blood, the baby will have Rh-negative blood. Since the mother?s blood and the baby?s blood match, sensitization will not occur.

Resource summary

	Created by Javen Jara over 10 years ago