Hh Antigen System - Hemolytic Disease of The Newborn

Hemolytic Disease of The Newborn

In theory, the maternal production of anti-H during pregnancy might cause hemolytic disease in a fetus who did not inherit the mother's Bombay phenotype. In practice, cases of HDN caused in this way have not been described. This may be possible due to the rarity of the Bombay phenotype but also because of the IgM produced by the immune system of the mother. Since IgMs are too heavy to cross the placental barrier (like indeed the IgG do) they cannot reach the blood stream of the fetus provoking an acute hemolytic reaction.

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