Hemolytic disease
Hemolytic Disease
Hemolytic disease (pronunciation: hee-mo-ly-tik di-zeez) is a medical condition that occurs when there is an incompatibility between the blood types of a mother and her unborn baby. This can lead to the destruction of the baby's red blood cells, a process known as Hemolysis.
Etymology
The term "hemolytic" is derived from the Greek words "haima" meaning blood and "lysis" meaning loosening or dissolving. The term "disease" comes from the Old French "desaise" meaning lack of ease.
Types of Hemolytic Disease
There are several types of hemolytic disease, including:
- Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn (HDN): This occurs when a mother's antibodies attack her baby's red blood cells. This is most commonly due to Rh incompatibility, where the mother is Rh negative and the baby is Rh positive.
- Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA): This is a condition where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own red blood cells.
- Drug-induced Hemolytic Anemia: This occurs when certain medications cause the body to produce antibodies that attack red blood cells.
Symptoms
Symptoms of hemolytic disease can vary depending on the severity of the condition. They may include:
Treatment
Treatment for hemolytic disease depends on the cause and severity of the condition. It may include:
- Blood transfusion
- Immunosuppressive therapy
- Plasmapheresis
- Phototherapy for newborns with jaundice
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Hemolytic disease
- Wikipedia's article - Hemolytic disease
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski