Erythroblastosis Foetalis

Erythroblastosis fetalis, also known as hemolytic disease of the newborn, is a rare but serious condition that can occur in some pregnant women. This condition occurs when the blood of the mother and child are incompatible for the Rh factor.

Rh factor is a protein on the surface of red blood cells that may or may not be present in a person's blood. If a child inherits the Rh factor from the father and does not inherit it from the mother, this can lead to the development of erythroblastosis fetalis in the mother if she has Rh negative blood.

When the baby's and mother's blood are Rh incompatible, the mother's immune system begins to produce antibodies against the baby's blood, which can cross the placenta and attack the baby's red blood cells. This leads to the destruction of red blood cells and the development of anemia in the child.

Symptoms of erythroblastosis fetalis can range from mild to severe, depending on the level of destruction of the baby's red blood cells. Newborns with mild erythroblastosis fetalis may have pale skin, jaundice, and an enlarged spleen. Severe forms of the disease can have serious complications such as brain damage, seizures and even death.

Various methods are used to diagnose erythroblastosis fetalis, including maternal and infant blood tests, ultrasound, and placental biopsy. If the disease is diagnosed, treatment may include blood transfusions, exchange transfusions, or other procedures to increase the baby's red blood cell count.

Overall, erythroblastosis fetalis is a serious condition that can be life-threatening to the newborn. Therefore, it is important that pregnant women receive regular consultations with a doctor and undergo appropriate tests in order to promptly detect the presence of Rh incompatibility and prevent the occurrence of this disease.



Erythroblastosis Foetalis: causes, symptoms and treatment

Erythroblastosis Foetalis is a rare disease that occurs in newborns and is associated with hemolytic anemia. This disease occurs when the newborn's blood is destroyed by factors present in the mother's blood serum. This is usually due to Rh incompatibility between the blood of the mother and child.

With Rh incompatibility of the blood of mother and child, if the child inherited the father's Rh factor is positive, and the mother inherited the Rh factor negative, then the mother's immune system begins to produce antibodies directed against the child's Rh factor. These antibodies can cross the placenta and attack the baby's red blood cells, causing their destruction and hemolytic anemia.

Symptoms of erythroblastosis fetalis can range from mild to severe. Mild forms of this disease may be asymptomatic, while severe forms can lead to serious complications for the newborn, such as jaundice, anemia, brain damage and even death.

Various methods are used to diagnose this disease, including maternal and newborn blood tests, ultrasound, and amniocentesis.

Treatment for erythroblastosis fetalis may include blood transfusions to the newborn to replace destroyed red blood cells, as well as treatment for jaundice and anemia. In cases of severe disease, maternal blood transfusions may be needed to lower antibody levels.

Thus, Rh incompatibility of the blood of mother and child can lead to the development of a dangerous disease - erythroblastosis fetalis. Early detection and treatment of this disease can save a child's life and prevent serious complications. If you are at risk of developing this condition, discuss it with your doctor and follow his or her recommendations to minimize your risk.



Erythroblastic (Erythroblastosia) or fetal erythroblosis is a rare form of anemia in newborns. It is diagnosed extremely rarely, the reasons for this are high maternal mortality. This anemia is the result of Rh conflict. To accurately determine the result of erythroplasty tests, a medical genetic consultation is used.

For a description of fetal erythroblastia, see: Lopukhin Yu.M., Nabieva G.I. Hematology.



Erythroblast is a fetal blood cell that is the precursor of its red blood cells. If this formation reaches maturity, erythroblastic anemia of the newborn occurs. It arises for two reasons. The first is the incompatibility of the parents' blood type. The second is intrauterine stress in the fetus. Congenital erythroblastotic anemia is diagnosed if by the 42nd week of intrauterine development the amount of hemoglobin (Hb) does not exceed 120 g/l. In male patients, erythroblastic indices decrease earlier by 8-10 days than in women. In the first case, the system defect is completely detected by the second week, in the second - by the third.