Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia
Medical condition / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAITP, NAIT, NATP or NAT) is a disease that affects babies in which the platelet count is decreased because the mother's immune system attacks her fetus' or newborn's platelets. A low platelet count increases the risk of bleeding in the fetus and newborn. If the bleeding occurs in the brain, there may be long-term effects.
Fetal and Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia | |
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Other names | fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT), feto-maternal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FMAITP, FMAIT) |
Specialty | Pediatrics ![]() |
Platelet antigens are inherited from both mother and father. NAIT is caused by antibodies specific for platelet antigens inherited from the father but which are absent in the mother.[1] Fetomaternal transfusions (or fetomaternal hemorrhage) results in the recognition of these antigens by the mother's immune system as non-self, with the subsequent generation of allo-reactive antibodies which cross the placenta. NAIT, hence, is caused by transplacental passage of maternal platelet-specific alloantibody and rarely human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allo-antibodies[2] (which are expressed by platelets) to fetuses whose platelets express the corresponding antigens.
NAIT occurs in somewhere between 1/800[3] and 1/5000[4] live births. More recent studies of NAIT seem to indicate that it occurs in around 1/600 live births in the Caucasian population.[5]