Background: Transplacental-derived anti-D IgG in RhD-negative pregnant women can trigger an immune response to Rh D-positive red cells in fetuses and newborns. We assessed the effect of anti-D titers in RhD-negative pregnant women on fetuses and newborns.
Methods: The clinical data of 142 singleton RhD-sensitized pregnancies were retrospectively collected. The pregnant women received routine prenatal care and the newborns had standard care. Based on the tertile categories of the pregnancies, the maximum titers of anti-D IgG in the pregnant women were divided into three groups ranging from low to high as follows: low-titer group (anti-D titer: 1:4-1:128, n = 57); medium-titer group (anti-D titer: 1:256-1:512, n = 50); and high-titer group (anti-D titer: 1:1024-1:4096, n = 35).
Results: The frequencies of major neonatal complications did not significantly differ among the three groups. The high-titer group had the highest frequency of pregnancies requiring intrauterine transfusion (IUT) and number of IUTs among the three groups. The high-titer group had a significantly higher frequency of newborns treated with top-up transfusion, number of top-up transfusions, frequency of newborns treated with exchange transfusion (ET), and number of ETs when compared to the low-titer group.
Conclusion: Higher anti-D titers in RhD-negative pregnant women predict more severe fetal and neonatal hemolytic anemia. Increasing maternal anti-D titers results in an increased need for IUTs, and neonatal top-up transfusions and ETs. Methods for reducing titers of anti-D IgG in RhD-sensitized pregnant women warrants further investigation.
Keywords: Anti-D titers; Hemolytic anemia; Pregnancy; Rh-negative.
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