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  • Perinatal/Neonatal Case Presentation
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Perinatal/Neonatal Case Presentation

Blueberry muffin rash, hyperbilirubinemia, and hypoglycemia: A case of hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn due to anti-Kpa

Journal of Perinatology volume 31, pages 373–376 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

Hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn occurs when maternal IgG antibodies cross the placenta and cause hemolysis of fetal red blood cells. Kpa is a low frequency red blood cell antigen that has rarely been implicated in hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn. The few reported cases attributed to anti-Kpa have typically had minimal clinical consequences. We report a critically ill neonate who presented with purpura, respiratory failure, severe liver dysfunction, hyperbilirubinemia, hypoglycemia and anemia. This case report broadens the spectrum of neonatal disease associated with anti-Kpa, addresses the evaluation of hemolysis with liver failure in a neonate, and emphasizes the importance of screening for antibodies to low frequency red blood cell antigens in suspected hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    J E Brumbaugh, C M Bendel & K D Roberts

  2. Division of Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    S Morgan & N Zantek

  3. Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    J C Beck

  4. Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    S Kearney

Authors
  1. J E Brumbaugh
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  2. S Morgan
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  3. J C Beck
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  4. N Zantek
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  5. S Kearney
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  6. C M Bendel
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  7. K D Roberts
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J E Brumbaugh.

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Competing interests

Drs Beck, Bendel, Brumbaugh, Kearney, Morgan and Roberts declare no conflict of interests. Dr Zantek's work has been funded in part by a research grant from Verax Biomedical, Inc., and she has received royalties from MedImmune.

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Brumbaugh, J., Morgan, S., Beck, J. et al. Blueberry muffin rash, hyperbilirubinemia, and hypoglycemia: A case of hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn due to anti-Kpa. J Perinatol 31, 373–376 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2010.161

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2010.161

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