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Severe haemolytic disease of the newborn due to anti-Js(b)
S Stanworth1, P Fleetwood, M de Silva
1Reference Laboratory, Immunohaematology Department, North London Blood Centre, London, UK.
A case of anti-Js(b) in pregnancy was associated with unexpectedly severe haemolytic disease of the newborn, requiring urgent exchange transfusion. Clinical signs of fetal distress were evident at 35 weeks of gestation in a sixth pregnancy. A Js(b+) baby from a previous pregnancy had been unaffected. This case report illustrates the difficulties of predicting severity on the basis of anti-Js(b) titre, and highlights issues relating to the problems of using reconstituted frozen red cells from the rare red cell bank for exchange transfusion.
A case of anti-Js(b) in pregnancy was associated with unexpectedly severe haemolytic disease of the newborn, requiring urgent exchange transfusion. Clinical signs of fetal distress were evident at 35 weeks of gestation in a sixth pregnancy. A Js(b+) baby from a previous pregnancy had been unaffected. This case report illustrates the difficulties of predicting severity on the basis of anti-Js(b) titre, and highlights issues relating to the problems of using reconstituted frozen red cells from the rare red cell bank for exchange transfusion.