What is ABO hemolysis?

ABO hemolysis is a neonatal hemolytic disease caused by ABO blood group incompatibility between mother and baby, which is called "neonatal ABO hemolytic disease" and is a kind of homologous immune hemolysis. So, what harm does it have?

Bai Qian, deputy director of the Department of Child Care, Chongqing Angel Maternity Hospital, said that ABO hemolysis can cause fetal anemia, heart enlargement, hepatosplenomegaly, fetal and placental edema, and increased red blood cells in the blood. In severe cases, fetal hypoxia is life-threatening. Jaundice can also occur in newborns, and indirect bilirubin can make brain nuclei yellow through the blood-brain barrier, affecting intellectual development and neurological function.

How to diagnose ABO hemolysis

Pregnant women should check their blood types before delivery, know the fetal situation as soon as possible, and take various monitoring measures for neonatal hemolysis as soon as possible. In addition, the antibody titer of pregnant women with type 0 blood should also be determined. The first check-up time is 16 weeks, the second is 28-30 weeks, and then every 2-4 weeks 1 time. More than half of pregnant women with this blood type will develop antibodies after 28 weeks. When the antibody titer is greater than 1 to 128, we should be alert to the possibility of hemolysis.

In addition, B-ultrasound examination is also helpful to find fetal hemolysis. When the fetus is found to have skin edema, pleural effusion, hepatosplenomegaly and enlarged placenta, it is necessary to consider whether there is a possibility of blood group incompatibility between mother and fetus. But mothers with type 0 blood should not be too nervous, because not every baby of a mother with type 0 blood will be hemolyzed, and the hemolysis of AB0 is generally mild. Careful observation of jaundice after delivery, early diagnosis and treatment, the prognosis is quite good.

How to prevent ABO hemolysis

If the prospective father is blood type A, blood type B or blood type AB, and the expectant mother is blood type O with a history of abortion or blood transfusion, it is necessary to pay attention to whether the newborn has anemia and the time and degree of jaundice, and not to confuse it with jaundice and anemia caused by other reasons, so as not to delay treatment.

If there is a possibility of ABO blood group incompatibility, expectant mothers should do a "prenatal blood group serological examination" before pregnancy to check the antibodies in the blood. If the "activity" of antibodies is not high, prospective parents can have children with peace of mind. If the "activity" of the antibody is high, it can be reduced by some drug treatment, and the antibody can be reduced by traditional Chinese medicine treatment first.

If you are pregnant with a baby, expectant mothers should remember to regularly detect antibodies in the blood from about 16 weeks, usually once every four weeks, and pay close attention to whether the baby has hemolysis. (Contributed by Chongqing Angel Maternity Hospital)

(Note: This article belongs to the commercial information published by People's Daily Online. The content of this article does not represent the views of this website, and is for reference only. )