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Aetiology

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

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One of the most severe causes of this condition is rhesus incompatibility.

Other causes include, in descending order of frequency and severity:

  • ABO system incompatibility
  • red blood cell metabolic disorders - for example, G-6-PD deficiency, pyruvate kinase deficiency
  • RBC morphology disorders - for example, hereditary spherocytosis, hereditary elliptocytosis

Rhesus incompatibility tends to be more severe than ABO incompatibility because anti-D antibodies are mainly IgG, which can readily cross the placenta, whereas anti-A and anti-B antibodies are mainly IgM, which cannot cross the placenta.

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