[Anti-erythrocyte immunization in the pregnant woman. Apropos of the analysis of 761 cases of alloimmunized women delivered in the Paris area in 1978 and 1979].
Through analysis of 760 cases of allo-immunized women delivered in the Paris area during 1978 and 1979, anti-erythrocyte immunization (ABO excluded) still appears to be a consequent perinatal risk, for the mother as for her fetus. During the considered period, general incidence in the parisian population has been of 3,78 for 1 000 livebirths, one out of four cases being a "non Rh D"immunization. Obviously, anti-D immunoglobulin prophylaxis has not proved to be as efficient as it promised to be, after more than ten years of application. Taking into account cases affecting "non ordinary" residents in the observed area, incidence of anti-D immunizations was of two out of a thousand. Anti-D immunoglobulin actual efficiency cannot be incriminated, for when correctly applied Rhesus immunization prophylaxis has demonstrated its ability to induce a twenty-fold reduction of immunization risk due to pregnancy. It must be pointed out, unfortunately, that most cases of undue immunizations are related to prophylatic omissions after delivery, miscarriage, abortion or fortuitous hetero-Rhesus blood transfusion. On another hand an important increase of "non Rh D" immunizations, which incidence, if one images that unknown cases are as frequent as known cases, could be two out of a thousand deliveries, is perhaps able to neutralize partially the decrease of Rh D immunizations. Though is underlined the absolute necessity to extend systematically anti-erythrocyte antibody screenings to all pregnant women, whatever the blood group is. A great variety of antibodies specificities can be found among "on Rh D" immunizations but anti-Kell and anti-c are by far the most frequently met. In most cases theses immunizations could easily be avoided, assessing that all female subjects aged less than 50 years are only given Kell negative and, if lacking c antigen, CC phenotyped blood.