erythroblastosis fetalis

pathology

Also known as: hemolytic disease of the newborn

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

History

erythroblastosis fetalis, type of anemia in which the red blood cells (erythrocytes) of a fetus are destroyed in a maternal immune reaction resulting from a blood group incompatibility between the fetus and its mother. This incompatibility arises when the fetus inherits a certain blood factor from the father that is absent in the mother. Symptoms of erythroblastosis fetalis range from mild to severe; death of the fetus or newborn sometimes results. Two blood group systems,...