Anti-D administration after childbirth for preventing Rhesus alloimmunisation (Cochrane Review)

A substantive amendment to this systematic review was last made on 24 February 1997. Cochrane reviews are regularly checked and updated if necessary.

Background: The development of Rh immunisation and its prophylactic use since the 1970s has meant that severe Rhesus D (RhD) alloimmunisation is now rarely seen.

Objectives: The objective of this systematic review was to assess the effects of giving anti-D to Rhesus negative women, with no anti-D antibodies, who had given birth to a Rhesus positive infant.

Search strategy: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group trials register, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, MEDLINE (from 1966 to January 2000) and reference lists of relevant articles. Date of last search of Cochrane Controlled Trials Register: August 2000.

Selection criteria: Randomised trials in Rhesus negative women without antibodies who were given anti-D immunoglobulin postpartum compared with no treatment or placebo.

Data collection and analysis: Assessments of inclusion criteria, trial quality and data extraction were done by each author independently. Initial analyses included all trials. Other analyses assessed the effect of trial quality, ABO compatibility and dose.

Main results: Six eligible trials compared postpartum anti-D prophylaxis with no treatment or placebo. The trials involved over 10,000 women, but trial quality varied. Anti-D lowered the incidence of RhD alloimmunisation six months after birth (relative risk 0.04, 95% confidence interval 0.02 to 0.06), and in a subsequent pregnancy (relative risk 0.12, 95% confidence interval 0.07 to 0.23) . These benefits were seen regardless of the ABO status of the mother and baby, when anti-D was given within 72 hours of birth. Higher doses (up to 200 micrograms) were more effective than lower doses (up to 50 micrograms) in preventing RhD alloimmunisation in a subsequent pregnancy.

Reviewers' conclusions: Anti-D, given within 72 hours after childbirth, reduces the risk of RhD alloimmunisation in Rhesus negative women who have given birth to a Rhesus positive infant. However the evidence on the optimal dose is limited.

Citation: Crowther C, Middleton P. Anti-D administration after childbirth for preventing Rhesus alloimmunisation (Cochrane Review). In: The Cochrane Library, Issue 3, 2003. Oxford: Update Software.

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This is an abstract of a regularly updated, systematic review prepared and maintained by the Cochrane Collaboration. The full text of the review is available in The Cochrane Library (ISSN 1464-780X).

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