The following are the most common symptoms of haemolytic disease of the newborn. However, each infant may experience symptoms differently. During pregnancy symptoms may include:
Before birth
- With amniocentesis, the amniotic fluid may have a yellow colouring and contain bilirubin.
- Ultrasound of the foetus shows enlarged liver, spleen, or heart and fluid build up in the foetus' abdomen.
After birth
Symptoms may include:- As the red blood cells break down, bilirubin is formed. Infants unable to get rid of the bilirubin. Builds up of bilirubin in the blood (hyperbilirubinemia) and other tissues and fluids of the infant's body resulting in jaundice.
- Jaundice or yellow colouring of amniotic fluid, umbilical cord, skin, and eyes may be present. The infant may not look yellow immediately after birth, but jaundice can develop quickly, usually within 24 to 36 hours. Beside that, maternal antibodies destroy foetal red blood cells that results in anaemia. Anaemia limits the ability of the blood to carry oxygen to the infant's organs and tissues and lead to breathing difficulties to the infant.
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| Jaundice |
- Infant's responds to the haemolysis by trying to make more red blood cells very quickly in the bone marrow and the liver and spleen organs and result in enlargement of these organ and known as hepatospleenomegaly. Furthermore, new red blood cells released prematurely from bone marrow and are unable to do the work of mature red blood cells are remove to the spleen also lead to spleenomegaly