Rh incompatibility

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Overview	Symptoms	Treatment	Prevention

Rh incompatibility

Alternative Names

Rh-induced hemolytic disease of the newborn

Symptoms

Rh incompatibility can cause symptoms ranging from very mild to fatal. In its mildest form, Rh incompatibility causes destruction of red blood cells.

Symptoms may include:

Jaundice
Hypotonia
Motormental retardation
Polyhydramnios (before birth)

Exams and Tests

There may be:

A positive direct Coombs test result
Higher-than-normal levels of bilirubin in the baby's cord blood
Signs of red blood cell destruction in the infant's blood


Erythroblastosis fetalis, photomicrograph


Jaundice infant


Antibodies


Exchange transfusion - series


Rh Incompatibility - series

Review Date: 10/15/2007
Reviewed By: Deirdre O’Reilly, MD, MPH, Neonatologist, Division of Newborn Medicine, Children’s Hospital Boston and Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Review Provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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