Hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn owing to anti-U, successfully treated with repeated intrauterine transfusions

Abstract

Hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) owing to anti-U has rarely been reported. U is part of the MNS system. M and N glycoproteins are located on glycophorin A (GPA); S and s antigens are on glycophorin B (GPB). Individuals who lack GPB are S- and s- and also lack U. The U- phenotype occurs almost exclusively in the African population and has a very low frequency (0.25%). Anti-U is of immunoglobulin G class and can cause hemolytic transfusion reaction and HDFN. In this report we present the use of a noninvasive method to detect anemia in the fetus and the subsequent use of intrauterine transfusion (IUT) with blood of a very rare phenotype. For the first time, we used deglycerolized and 3-week-old red blood cell units for IUT without signs of adverse reactions and with the expected effect on the hemoglobin value. We conclude that this transfusion strategy could be applied safely.