• Vol. 50 No. 1, 84–85
  • 01 January 2021

Importance of antenatal blood group typing and antibody screening in non-ABO/Rh haemolytic disease of the newborn

Haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) is a severe, potentially fatal alloimmune condition where maternal antibodies are produced, transported across the placenta and react against fetal red blood cell (RBC) antigens, resulting in varying degrees of haemolytic anaemia. Although ABO and Rhesus D (RhD) incompatibility is responsible for the majority of cases, antibodies directed against other Rh antigens and blood group systems have the potential to cause severe HDFN. In this report, we present 2 cases of severe HDFN due to maternal alloantibodies directed against non-RhD red cell antigens that were not identified antenatally.

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