Doctors: Screen for RH incompatibility

Coimbatore: With 3-5% of pregnant women coming to city hospitals with Rh incompatibility, gynecologists are advocating the importance of screening.
Rh factor (Rhesus factor) is a genetically inherited protein found on the surface of red blood cells. When Rh negative mother conceives an Rh positive child, the mother’s immune system mistakes Rh-positive fetal cells as foreign bodies and attacks them. It can lead to miscarriage, pre-term deliveries, hemolytic anemia or mental and cognitive disorders in babies.
However, complications due to the incompatibility can be prevented by medical interventions during the pregnancy. The national estimate of Rh incompatible pregnancies is at 2-10%.
Professor and chief of obstetrics and gynecology at PSG Institute of Medical Sciences Dr T V Chitra says around 3-5% of the pregnancies they see are Rh incompatible. “However, with timely screening for Rh blood typing and medical interventions, complications can be prevented.”
Gyneacologists say that it is important to check Rh typing of every pregnant woman in the first visit. “Negative mothers need to have an indirect antiglobulin test. If antibodies are found, then levels need to be checked periodically and development of fetal anaemia must be monitored,” added Chitra. “Administration of anti-D immunoglobulins can prevent incidence of such complications.”