The textbook describes the problem with Rh factor hemolytic disease of the newborn in the case where the mother is Rh^- and the father is Rh⁺.Which of the following statements is true? A)This would also be a problem where the father is Rh^- and the mother is Rh⁺. B)This would be a problem any time the mother is Rh^-,regardless of the father's blood type,since the mother has the immune problem. C)This is only a problem in the given case because the Rh^- mother lacks the Rh⁺ protein and only a Rh⁺ father could produce an Rh⁺ child. D)This is simply a matter of a mother having a lower threshold for rejecting foreign tissues since all babies have half-foreign tissues. E)The problem is substantially more complicated since the hemolytic disease is also dependent on ABO blood groups.

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The problem in Rh factor hemolytic disease of the newborn arises when the mother lacks the Rh factor protein and the father has it. This results in the baby inheriting the Rh factor from the father and the mother's immune system recognizing it as foreign and attacking it. In the given case, the mother is Rh^-, which means she lacks the Rh⁺ protein. The father is Rh⁺, which means he has the Rh⁺ protein. Therefore, the child inherits the Rh factor from the father and the mother's immune system recognizes it as foreign and attacks it. In the case where the father is also Rh^- and the mother is Rh⁺, the child would also inherit the Rh factor from the father and the mother's immune system would not attack it since the mother also has the Rh⁺ protein.

The Textbook Describes the Problem with Rh Factor Hemolytic Disease