Anti‐D in a‘D Positive’Mother Giving Rise to Severe Haemolytic Disease of the Newborn

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

An Rh positive woman having the Rh(D) variant designated DVI formed a potent anti-D which caused a severe haemolytic disease in the infant. The infant received three exchange transfusions within the first 21 hours after delivery and, because of a 'late anaemia', three additional blood transfusions during the first 3 months of life. The authors point out the distinction between D variant antigens, where certain epitopes of the D antigen are lacking, and qualitatively normal D antigens with a reduced reactivity, Du. Women with D variant antigens should be subject to the same antenatal serological control as those who are Rh(D) negative, and if they form anti-D the infant should be controlled as in other cases where haemolytic disease of the newborn is suspected.