If an Rh-negative pregnant woman carrying an Rh-positive fetus is not treated with Rho(D) immune globulin, which consequence follows during a subsequent pregnancy with another Rh-positive fetus?

💡 Explanation

Without Rho(D) immune globulin, the mother's immune system can become sensitized to the Rh antigen; therefore, maternal anti-Rh antibodies cross the placenta in subsequent pregnancies, attacking fetal red blood cells and causing hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn, rather than inducing iron overload or affecting bone marrow directly, because the mechanism is antibody-mediated hemolysis.

• If a patient's dehydration increases plasma osmolality, and ADH secretion is suppressed due to a rare collecting duct aquaporin-2 mutation, which consequence follows?
• Why does targeted temperature management (TTM) for post-cardiac arrest patients prevent fever above a specified range, such as 32-36°C, after the initial cooling phase?
• If a motor neuron's firing frequency increases significantly to a skeletal muscle fiber, which consequence follows regarding the muscle's contractile state?
• If a COX-2 selective inhibitor drug preferentially blocks prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production in osteoarthritic joints, which consequence follows regarding cartilage remodeling?
• Why does inhibiting aldosterone synthesis reduce blood pressure in hypertension, even when angiotensin II levels remain high?
• Why does endurance performance diminish when an athlete limits water intake despite increased plasma osmolality?