Blood types

In a study published on bmj.com, researchers have developed a new test that can recognize whether a mother and her baby have different blood types or same.Kristin Finning (International Blood Group Reference Laboratory, NHS) and colleagues believe that the test is accurate, easy, and can reduce unnecessary treatment.

Negative and positive Rh

If a mother’s blood type is negative Rh and she is carrying a baby whose blood is positive Rh, complications may take place.Blood that is Rh positive contains an RhD antigen that passes into the mother’s blood during birth.This element causes the mother to produce antibodies against the RhD positive blood.

Hemolytic disease

During first pregnancy, usually there are no problems because of the antibodies.But if the woman has another RhD positive baby, the antibodies can cross the placenta and attack the baby’s red blood cells.This causes hemolytic disease - a blood disorder that is grave and can cause loss of life.

Antiserum injections

To prevent this disorder it is essential to test the blood type of pregnant women at their first clinical visit.If she is RhD negative, she is given one or two antiserum injections of anti-RhD immunoglobulin during the pregnancy.Inefficiencies arise in this system, however, because about 38% of RhD negative women are carrying a baby who is also RhD; these women receive an unnecessary treatment of antiserum injections.

DNA

To avoid that unnecessary treatments, researchers at the NHS Blood and Transplant Centre in Bristol developed a new way to predict a baby’s blood group by “typing” its DNA in the plasma of RhD negative pregnant women.

Phenotype tests

The researchers collected blood samples from 1,997 women at or before the 28 week doctor visit and found that the correct RhD phenotype of the baby was predicted by genotyping tests in 96% of cases.

Genotyping tests

The researchers noted that if the results of the test had been used as a guide for whether or not a woman would receive the antiserum treatment, only 2% of women would have received anti-RhD without necessity - compared to 36% who unnecessarily get the antigen without genotyping.

Anti-RhD prophylaxis

The authors stated “Our results show that fetuses of RhD negative women could be RHD genotyped with an acceptable level of accuracy,”.They also pointed out the low rate of false positive results.”The introduction of fetal genotyping followed by the withholding of clinical anti-RhD prophylaxis from mothers with an RhD negative fetus would result in almost 36% of women being saved from unnecessary exposure to human blood products, restlessness, and discomfort.”

1. Blood types
2. Negative and positive Rh
3. Hemolytic disease
4. Antiserum injections
5. DNA
6. Phenotype tests
7. Genotyping tests.
8. Anti-RhD prophylaxis

This article is the property of http://www.ElegantDirectory.com
Copying and publishing any article from our site is strictly NOT allowed