Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Jan;31(1):77-80.
doi: 10.5001/omj.2016.15.

Red Cell Alloimmunization to Rhesus Antigen Among Pregnant Women Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital in Oman

Tamima Al-Dughaishi  1 , Yusra Al Harrasi  2 , Maymoona Al-Duhli  2 , Ikhlass Al-Rubkhi  2 , Nihal Al-Riyami  1 , Arwa Al Riyami  3 , Anil V Pathare  3 , Vaidyanathan Gowri  4
Affiliations

Red Cell Alloimmunization to Rhesus Antigen Among Pregnant Women Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital in Oman

Tamima Al-Dughaishi et al. Oman Med J. 2016 Jan.

Abstract

Objectives: The detection of maternal alloimmunization against red cell antigens is vital in the management of hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn. We sought to measure the presence of allosensitization to Rhesus D (RhD) antibodies in antenatal women attending a tertiary care hospital and assess the fetal outcome in sensitized women.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of pregnant Omani women who registered at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital between June 2011 and June 2013. Pregnant women were tested for ABO blood type and were screened for RhD antigen and antibodies at their first antenatal clinic visit. In women who tested positive for the RhD antibodies, an antibody titer was performed to evaluate the severity of their case.

Results: Data was available on 1,251 pregnant women who were managed and delivered at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital. The prevalence of RhD negative pregnant women was 7.3%. Blood group O was the most common followed by A, B, and AB. The rate of RhD negative alloimmunization was 10%, and anti-D was the most common antibody detected. There were no stillbirths or neonatal deaths. Postnatal transfusion was necessary for only one baby.

Conclusions: The prevalence of RhD negativity was comparable to other Asian countries. Previous RhD alloimmunization and history of miscarriages were the most common maternal medical history.

Keywords: Alloimmunization; Antenatal Screening; Anti-D; RhO(D) antigen.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart describing the rate of rhesus alloimmunization.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Landsteiner K, Wiener AS. An agglutinable factor in human blood recognized by immune sera for rhesus blood. Proc Soc Exp Biol 1940;43:223 . 10.3181/00379727-43-11151 - DOI
    1. Avent ND, Reid ME. The Rh blood group system: a review. Blood 2000. Jan;95(2):375-387. - PubMed
    1. Bowman J. Rh-immunoglobulin: Rh prophylaxis. Best Pract Res Clin Haematol 2006;19(1):27-34. 10.1016/j.beha.2005.03.003 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Qureshi H, Massey E, Kirwan D, Davies T, Robson S, White J, et al. British Society for Haematology BCSH guideline for the use of anti-D immunoglobulin for the prevention of haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn. Transfus Med 2014. Feb;24(1):8-20. 10.1111/tme.12091 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hartwell EA, American Society of Clinical Pathologists Use of Rh immune globulin: ASCP practice parameter. Am J Clin Pathol 1998. Sep;110(3):281-292. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources