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Erythroblastosis Fetalis Research Paper

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Erythroblastosis Fetalis
Davane Hall
Abstract:
A newborn positive for the Rh antigen having a mother that is not will result in the creation of antibodies against Rh-positive blood. This causes Rh sensitization if the mother gets pregnant with another baby with positive Rh blood. The blood of the family members (mother, father and first child) can be tested using a modified blood typing test to see if they contain Rh positive or negative antigen. The blood sample is mixed with anti-Rh serum to determine if agglutination happens. Results obtained from the experiment showed that the mother and child had different Rh antigen, negative and positive respectively, making the diagnosis of hemolytic disease of the newborn made by doctor correct. This …show more content…

This disease at times is also called erythroblastosis fetalis. This disease occurs when a mother is Rh negative and a father who is Rh positive give birth to a baby that is Rh positive. The blood from the baby is mixed with the mothers at the time of delivery and the mother sees the Rh positive red blood cell coming from the baby as foreign material. The mother’s immune system then creates antibodies to defend against and destroy the baby’s Rh-positive blood. Those antibodies created by the mother in her first pregnancy is kept by the immune system for future use in the event something similar happens. The mother can now be said to be Rh …show more content…

This confirms that the doctor’s diagnosis of the occurrence being hemolytic disease of the newborn to be correct; hence the miscarriages because if the fetuses that didn’t make it were Rh positive, the alloantibodies from the mother would cross the placenta and attach the red blood cells of the baby. An alternative test called the Coomb’s test (Direct Antiglobulin Test or DAT) could be carried out to see if there are antibodies against the Rh-positive antigen within the mother. What would happen is that the Coomb’s reagent, antihuman globulin would be added to the mother’s blood sample to see id IgG and complement (C3) are attached to the mother’s red blood cell. A positive result would be the agglutination of red blood

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