Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn: Progenitor Cells and Late Effects

The history of hemolytic disease of the newborn dates to the 1600s, when a French midwife described the birth of twins, one of whom had fatal hydrops fetalis and the other of whom was initially icteric and later died. Centuries have passed, yet morbidity and mortality remain high despite a dramatic increase in our understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of this condition.Hemolytic disease of the newborn occurs when fetal red cells cross the placenta and the mother is immunized with a fetal red-cell antigen that is not present on her red cells. The resulting immune response triggers the . . .