Rh Incompatibility
(Thank you to Patricia Merritt, Click Here to read her story)

Editor's Note: According to her story, The disease that afflicted Patricia's child was unknown at the time. We at todayinhealth.com researched possible diseases that matched the symptoms Patricia described. Rh Incompatibility was the closest disease we could find that might have been what Patricia's child had when she was born.

Rh incompatibility is a condition that occurs when a woman has Rh-negative blood type and her unborn child or newborn has Rh-positive blood. This incompatible blood reaction may cause problems in a newborn as well as life-threatening problems for future pregnancies.

What is going on in the body? The Rh factor, or Rhesus factor, is a marker that may or may not be present on the surface of a person's red blood cells. When a woman has the Rh component in her blood, she is considered Rh positive. When she does not have the Rh factor, she is considered Rh negative. When a person who has Rh-negative blood is exposed to Rh-positive blood, that person's body does not recognize the Rh factor and considers it something foreign. The body builds antibodies against it as it would for any foreign substance that is introduced into the blood. If the person who is Rh negative is ever exposed in the future to Rh-positive blood, his or her body is armed to attack the red blood cells that have the Rh factor. Therefore, problems may arise if a woman with Rh-negative blood conceives a baby who has Rh-positive blood. (This may occur if the father of the baby has Rh-positive blood.) The pregnant woman's body can become sensitive to the Rh factor and build up "antibodies" to attack the Rh factor. The build up of antibodies does not usually occur until after delivery of the newborn. However, not all women develop antibodies to the Rh factor after having one baby with Rh-positive blood. Generally, there is no effect on the first-born child. If problems occur, they generally happen in second and later pregnancies. For example, say a woman who is Rh negative becomes pregnant again and her unborn baby has Rh-positive blood. The Rh antibodies that the woman may have developed during or after her first pregnancy can pass through the blood to her second baby and attack the baby's red blood cells. This attack can cause hemolysis, which is the destruction of red blood cells. The baby may start to produce more red blood cells in an effort to replace the ones that were destroyed.

What are the signs and symptoms of the disease?

Symptoms associated with Rh incompatibility in an unborn child include:

• A decrease in the baby's intrauterine growth
• A decrease in movement of the unborn baby
• Small lungs, kidneys, and brain
• Stillbirth

• Jaundice, which is yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes from high levels of bilirubin
• Paleness of the baby's skin
• An enlarged liver and spleen
• Petechiae, or a rash that looks like little bruises
• Swelling of the tissues
• Difficulty breathing, causing grunting and rubbing noises in the lungs
• Neurological damage, such as a decreased ability to hear, see, and feel
• Seizures
• Poor muscle tone, decreased movement, and poor reflexes
• Heart problems, including heart murmurs and swelling of the heart