Management of severe alloimmune thrombocytopenia in the newborn

Leading article Management of severe alloimmune thrombocytopenia in the newborn

Petechiae or echymoses and severe thrombocytopenia (< 20 × 10 platelets/litre) is a worrying and serious condition in newborn infants. Rapid correction of the platelet count is essential to prevent cerebral bleeding and associated life long disability, and this should be combined with laboratory investigations to confirm the clinical diagnosis. Prospective studies have revealed that the most li...

Management of severe alloimmune thrombocytopenia in the newborn.

Petechiae or echymoses and severe thrombocytopenia (< 20 × 10 platelets/litre) is a worrying and serious condition in newborn infants. Rapid correction of the platelet count is essential to prevent cerebral bleeding and associated life long disability, and this should be combined with laboratory investigations to confirm the clinical diagnosis. Prospective studies have revealed that the most li...

Severe fetomaternal alloimmune thrombocytopenia presenting with fetal hydrocephalus.

We report two patients where the finding of isolated fetal hydrocephalus led to the detection of severe fetal thrombocytopenia, using fetal blood sampling. Serological investigation led to the diagnosis of fetomaternal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FMAIT) due to anti-HPA-1a. Both women had had previous unsuccessful pregnancies probably due to FMAIT; one had had four miscarriages at 17-18 weeks' ...

Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia.

Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia: current considerations.

Some mothers produce antibodies to the platelet antigens of their fetuses. Exposure to these antigens may occur owing to prior transfusions or through feto-maternal hemorrhage during gestation or delivery. The sensitizing antigen is usually an epitope of one of the glycoproteins (GP) found on the platelet membrane. Specific GPs act as receptors for factors important in hemostasis, such as von W...