Alloimmune disorders of pregnancy : anaemia, thrombocytopenia, and neutropenia in the fetus and newborn

The effective prevention, diagnosis, and management of alloimmune cytopenias has become a team effort involving hematologists, obstetricians, pediatricians, immunologists, laboratory technicians, midwives, and research scientists. This book has been written by experts in their respective fields to bring together the issues of pathogenesis, epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis, and clinical management. This comprehensive but accessible account is extensively cross-referenced to emphasize the links between pathogenesis and clinical sequels, between epidemiology and the rationale for screening programs, and between diagnosis and therapeutic intervention.

Overview of the alloimmune disorders of pregnancy which arise from maternal immunisation to fetal blood cells.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Lisa Boggio, MS, MD(Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine)
Description:This is a very comprehensive discussion of alloimmune disorders that occur in pregnancy. Considering that pregnancy is the most common way alloantibodies are acquired and have a significant affect on morbidity and mortality, there have been few publications which highlight and inform on this topic.
Purpose:The purpose is to provide a comprehensive, but clear, discussion of the alloimmune disorders of pregnancy which can be used and referenced by trainees and physicians who specialize in blood banking, obstetrics, fetal-maternal medicine, pediatrics, and immunology. There are few complete references on this topic and it is often overlooked. This is a clearly written overview that achieves the authors' goals and is sorely needed.
Audience:This book is written for students, technicians and practitioners in the fields of pediatrics, obstetrics, fetal-maternal medicine, blood banking, and immunology. It is a difficult task to provide a comprehensive discussion of a topic to such a wide variety of readers, but the authors manage to do so without making the book too simplistic for the more knowledgeable reader, nor too technical for the student. The authors are credible authorities on the topic.
Features:This is a very comprehensive discussion of alloimmune disorders in pregnancy. Since these are formed through the comingling of fetal and maternal blood at the placenta, the authors begin with a basic discussion of blood groups and alloimmunity responses and then expand to discussions of specific disorders. The reason that this book is so needed is that these complications are often overlooked and little is done to prevent them from happening. This book provides a forum for thought and evaluation of these alloimmune disorders. The figures add to the understanding of an often confusing topic and it is actually very easy to read. Since it caters to those with wide variations in knowledge, some areas may be too simple for the experienced clinician, and some are too complex for the student. However, those areas are few and this has really enhanced and expanded my understanding of this topic.
Assessment:I found this book very useful in understanding the mechanisms of the alloimmune response and I learned new ways to diagnose and prevent these complications. I do not know of any other book that covers this topic.

Collectively known as the alloimmune cytopenias, hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn, alloimmune thrombocytopenia and alloimmune neutropenia are all consequences of maternal immunisation to fetal blood cells. The effective prevention, diagnosis and management of these disorders has become a team effort involving haematologists, obstetricians, paediatricians, immunologists, laboratory technicians, midwives and research scientists. This book has been written by experts in their respective fields to bring together the issues of pathogenesis, epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis and clinical management. This comprehensive but accessible account is extensively cross-referenced to emphasise the links between pathogenesis and clinical sequelae, between epidemiology and the rationale for screening programmes, and between diagnosis and therapeutic intervention. This is an authoritative overview suitable for trainees in obstetrics, materno-fetal medicine, transfusion medicine and clinical immunology The alloimmune disorders of pregnancy arise from maternal immunisation to fetal blood cells. The effective prevention, diagnosis and management of these disorders involves a team management approach. This is an authoritative overview suitable for trainees in obstetrics, materno-fetal medicine, transfusion medicine and clinical immunology.