Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Rho(D) immune globulin is made up of antibodies to the antigen Rh o (D) present on some red blood cells. [2] It is believed to work by blocking a person's immune system from recognizing this antigen. [2] Rh o (D) immune globulin came into medical use in the 1960s, [4] following the pioneering work of John G. Gorman.
The term "Rh Disease" is commonly used to refer to HDFN due to anti-D antibodies, and prior to the discovery of anti-Rh o (D) immune globulin, it was the most common type of HDFN. The disease ranges from mild to severe, and occurs in the second or subsequent pregnancies of Rh-D negative women when the biologic father is Rh-D positive.
The vast majority of Rh disease is preventable in modern antenatal care by injections of IgG anti-D antibodies (Rho(D) Immune Globulin). The incidence of Rh disease is mathematically related to the frequency of D negative individuals in a population, so Rh disease is rare in old-stock populations of Africa and the eastern half of Asia, and the ...
Rho(D) immune globulin is made from pooled human plasma provided by Rh-negative donors with antibodies to the D antigen. It is used to provide passive immune binding of antigen, preventing a maternal active immune response which could potentially result in hemolytic disease of the newborn. [4] [5]
Rhesus D hemolytic disease of the newborn (often called Rh disease) is the most common and only preventable form of severe HDN. Since the introduction of Rho-D immunoglobulin, (Rhogam, at 1968, which prevents the production of maternal Rho-D antibodies, the incidence of anti-D HDN has decreased dramatically. [5] [18]
It is theoretically likely that IgG anti-Rhc antibody injections would prevent sensitization to RBC surface Rhc antigens in a similar way that IgG anti-D antibodies (Rho(D) immune globulin) are used to prevent Rh disease, but the methods for IgG anti-Rhc antibodies have not been developed at the present time. [citation needed]
It is usually performed on Rh-negative mothers to determine the required dose of Rho(D) immune globulin (RhIg) to inhibit formation of Rh antibodies in the mother and prevent Rh disease in future Rh-positive children. [2] It is named after Enno Kleihauer and Klaus Betke who described it in 1957.
William Pollack (February 26, 1926 – November 3, 2013) was a British-born American immunologist who developed the Rho(D) immune globulin vaccine against Rh disease, a leading cause of erythroblastosis fetalis.