Patient's question:
Doctor, what is the impact of hemolytic disease of the newborn on a child's growth? How long does the treatment take to work? Are there any effective methods? Please give me some advice.Doctor's answer:
Hemolytic disease of the newborn refers to immune hemolysis caused by incompatibility between the blood types of the mother and the infant. In China, the majority of cases involve ABO blood type incompatibility, while Rh incompatibility is less common, and other blood type systems such as MN and Kell are rare. The severity of symptoms varies greatly in this condition, with ABO incompatibility generally causing milder symptoms compared to Rh incompatibility. Infants often develop jaundice within 24 hours of birth or the following day, which rapidly worsens. As jaundice deepens, anemia, hepatosplenomegaly may occur, and in severe cases, bilirubin encephalopathy may develop. In cases of severe hemolysis due to Rh incompatibility, infants may be born with severe anemia, which can lead to heart failure, generalized edema, and even stillbirth.