The immunologic profile of infants born after maternal immunoglobulin treatment and intrauterine platelet transfusions for fetal/neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether maternally administered intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) and intrauterine platelet transfusions (IUPT) for fetal/neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) affect the development of the fetal immune system. Study design: The lymphocyte subset distribution of mononuclear cells of cord blood of 20 FNAIT newborns was analyzed by flow cytometry and compared with a control group of healthy newborns and a reference group treated with intrauterine erythrocyte transfusions (IUET) for hemolytic disease. Results: The percentage of monocytes, natural killer (NK) cells, ratios of mature and immature T cells and B cells, and resting or activated cells were not significantly different compared to the control group. In addition, the B-cell and T-cell populations showed a normal in vitro antibody production and T-cell proliferation when compared with the control group. Conclusion: Antenatal treatment for FNAIT with maternal IVIG with or without IUPT is not associated with lymphocyte activation or premature maturation of the neonatal immune system. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.