What are the symptoms of hemolysis in babies?

When a newborn baby shows symptoms of jaundice and anemia, it is necessary to consider whether it is hemolytic disease. After hemolysis occurs, the baby will gradually develop jaundice and the condition will worsen rapidly. If not treated in time, it may cause hepatosplenomegaly and cholestasis, which will eventually endanger the baby's life and health. Hemolytic disease can be detected through prenatal examinations, but if such a condition occurs, there is usually no need to worry as long as it is treated promptly.

What are the symptoms of hemolytic disease in children

Babies with neonatal hemolytic disease will have various symptoms, mainly jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly, anemia, etc. The severity of the symptoms is basically consistent with the degree of hemolysis. In most patients with ABO hemolytic disease, other changes are not obvious except for jaundice. The symptoms of Rh hemolytic disease are severe and can cause severe anemia in the fetus, and even heart failure, or death in severe cases.

1. Jaundice: Most children with Rh hemolytic disease develop jaundice within 24 hours after birth and the jaundice rapidly worsens, while most children with ABO hemolytic disease develop jaundice on the 2nd to 3rd day. Serum bilirubin is mainly unconjugated, but if hemolysis is severe and causes cholestasis, conjugated bilirubin may also increase.

2. Anemia: varying degrees. Severe Rh hemolysis may cause severe anemia or heart failure after birth. Some children may also develop late anemia 3-6 weeks after birth due to the persistent presence of antibodies.

3. Hepatosplenomegaly: Children with Rh hemolytic disease often have varying degrees of hepatosplenomegaly, while children with ABO hemolytic disease do not have obvious hepatosplenomegaly.

4. Complications: Bilirubin encephalopathy

Prevention of hemolytic disease of the newborn

To resist the threat of neonatal hemolytic disease, prevention is better than cure. Doing the following can effectively prevent neonatal hemolytic disease:

1. Prenatal examination: The first maternal antibody test is performed in the first week of pregnancy, which is used as the baseline value and then measured regularly. If the titer increases, it indicates that the fetus may be affected; amniotic fluid bilirubin measurement; B-ultrasound to check whether the fetus has edema and ascites, etc.

2. The purpose of prenatal treatment is to correct anemia and alleviate the condition. Plasma exchange uses fresh frozen plasma or albumin as a replacement agent, and multiple exchanges are often required; intrauterine blood transfusion uses Rh-negative O" type blood to enter the fetal abdominal cavity, and the amount of blood transfusion depends on the gestational age; early delivery can prevent the fetus's condition from worsening.

3. After an Rh-negative woman gives birth to an Rh-positive baby, she can be given an intramuscular injection of 100 mg of anti-D immunoglobulin. This can destroy the antigenic fetal red blood cells in the body and inhibit the production of maternal antibodies, but it is ineffective for those who have already been sensitized.

Jaundice is a condition that many newborns will experience. Everyone must have heard of it. In fact, it is the neonatal hemolytic disease we mentioned above. Therefore, don’t worry after learning that your child has this disease. Just follow the doctor’s instructions to take care of the child and use some scientific treatments. Neonatal hemolytic disease is very easy to cure.