Patient's question:
The doctor checked my newborn baby after birth and found that the jaundice level was much higher than the normal value. The doctor said it was neonatal hemolytic disease. After further examination at the hospital, it was discovered that the spleen was enlarged and the jaundice was particularly high. Is there a problem with fetal hemolysis? Can it affect the future quality of life?Doctor's answer:
Hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn is an autoimmune hemolytic disease caused by incompatibility of blood types between the mother and fetus. The mother is often Rh-negative, while the father is Rh-positive. If the fetus inherits the father's Rh-positive blood type, or if the mother is type O blood and the father is any blood type other than O, the infant will attack the mother's immune system, producing additional antibodies. When these antibodies cross the placenta and enter the fetus, the fetal red blood cells are damaged, leading to hemolysis, which may result in severe conditions such as heart, liver, and spleen enlargement.