Underreporting of mortality from RhD haemolytic disease in Scotland and its implications: retrospective review

BMJ 1997;315:1504-1505 (6 December)

Papers

Underreporting of mortality from RhD haemolytic disease in Scotland and its implications: retrospective review

Charles R Whitfield, emeritus regius professor of midwifery,^a Alaeddin Raafat, honorary lecturer in transfusion medicine,^b Stanislaw J Urbaniak, honorary reader in transfusion medicine ^b

^a Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the Queen Mother's Maternity Hospital, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G3 8SH, ^b Academic Transfusion Medicine Unit, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Aberdeen, Regional Transfusion Centre, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB9 2ZW

Correspondence to: Professor Whitfield

Introduction

Clarke et al surveyed the decline in RhD haemolytic diseasein England and Wales from 1977-92 by reviewing the statisticsof the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys; during thattime deaths attributable to RhD haemolytic disease had fallenfrom 18.4 to 1.3 per 100 000 live births.¹ We surveyed RhD alloimmunisationin mothers resident in Scotland between 1987 and 91 and confirmedthat fetal loss from RhD haemolytic disease was greater thanthat listed by the General Register Office in Scotland. Underreporting has seriousimplications for recognising, understanding, and preventingthis potentially lethal disease.

Subjects, methods, and results

Data on deaths attributable to RhD haemolytic disease during1987-91 were obtained from: death certificates; details of pregnanciesin Scottish residents who had antibody to RhD antigen and weremanaged at the Queen . . . [Full text of this article]

  Comment

  Acknowledgements

  References

Add to CiteULike CiteULike    Add to Complore Complore    Add to Connotea Connotea    Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    Add to Digg Digg    Add to Reddit Reddit    Add to StumbleUpon StumbleUpon    Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Preventing RhD haemolytic disease of the newborn: Douglas Lee, J S Craig, B G McClure, and T R J Tubman
BMJ 1998 316: 1611. [Extract] [Full Text]

This article has been cited by other articles:

Greenough, A, Hartnoll, G, Hambley, H, Richards, J (2002). Treatment requirements of infants with rhesus isoimmunisation within a geographically defined area. Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed. 87: F202-203 [Abstract] [Full text]
van Dijk, B. (1997). Preventing RhD haemolytic disease of the newborn. BMJ 315: 1480-1481 [Full text]