Red Blood Cell Antibodies and Anti-D
What are the 4 types of blood groups?
Type A Type B Type AB Type O
Type O people can receive what type of blood?
Type O only. Type A or AB or B would be attacked by the person's own blood which has both antibodies
What is Haemolytic disease of the newborn?
When the IgG antibodies pass through the placenta and attack the baby's antigens. They break down and destroy the via haemolysis and cause symptoms of Jaundice.
What is Agglutination? Why is this dangerous?
Where many antibodies connect to many foreign antigens. this creates a large clump within the vessels which can cause blockages and lead to gangrene or even death.
What is an antibody?
a Y shaped, free roaming protein that responds to the presence of an antigen. Roam within the plasma.
Type AB has both ____ on it's cell surface and is therefore a universal ______.
antigens recipient
Type A blood has __ antigens on it's red blood cells and therefore has ___ ____ antibodies floating around in its plasma.
A Anti B Therefore if a B antigen turns up into the system of a Type A body it will be attacked (due to being foreign) by the Anti-B antibodies
What is an Antigen?
A protein molecule that produces an immune response. They are also a sign of what blood group you are.
Type O is the universal _____. Why?
Because it has no antigens on it's cell surface and will therefore not be seen as foreign.
Why is a baby MORE at risk if it has Haemolytic disease of the newborn?
Because it has so much fetal haemoglobin already and the kidneys cannot keep up with how much bilirubin is in the system. The baby is likely to come out of the womb yellow, being diagnosed as pathological jaundice and a referral must occur immediately.
Why do we give women with a negative blood type who have had a positive blood type baby Anti D if there have been no bleeds during pregnancy?
Because the woman may have begun creating antibodies against the baby's blood which may have been introduced during the birthing process which could be seriously dangerous to any subsequent babies.
The antibodies created when the mum gives birth to the opposite rhesus baby are called ______
D Antibodies.
What process occurs to ensure that agglutination doesn't cause issues? What is the byproduct of this?
Haemolysis (large macrophages come along and kill the antigens) Bilirubin.
How can the mother's blood attack the subsequent baby? What is this called?
Her antibodies cross the placental barrier causing agglutination of the baby's blood, which can cause death due to the baby's immature immune system. This process is called Haemolytic Disease of the Newborn
What does Anti D actually do to prevent issues?
It helps remove any red blood cells from the baby that may have entered the mum's blood stream, halting the beginning of the creation of D antibodies.
What happens when isoimmunisation occurs?
One person's antigens (different from the person recieving the blood) mix with that persons. This causes the person receiving the blood to create antibodies against the other person's antigens, in order to flag them as foreign and be destroyed by the body's macrophages.
What is sensitisation?
The moment where antibodies connect to the foreign antigens.
What actually is "rhesus"?
The rhesus antigen is another type of antigen that either is or is not present on the cell surface of a person. This is where the - or + comes from hen your blood group is stated.
What would happen if AB blood were given to an A type person?
Their anti B antibodies would attack the B antigens and you would have to start all over again.