SCREENING PROGRAMS FOR FETOMATERNAL ALLOIMMUNE THROMBOCYTOPENIA

Screening to detect pregnancies at risk of severe thrombocytopenia due to Foetomaternal alloimmunisation to Human Platelet Alloantigens (FAI T) is not yet a standard of care. Screening may be performed antenatal ly with the possibility of early intervention/therapy. Post natal meas urement of cord platelet count may not always prevent fetal damage but may detect severe thrombocytopenia from other causes. Assessment of F AIT screening against World Health Organisation standards for screenin g programmes helps define areas where knowledge is still lacking and w here research effort should be directed. Limitations to screening have been lack of reliable assays for typing and anti body detection, a li mited understanding of the relationship between the presence of alloan tibodies and clinical disease, inability to predict non-invasively whi ch cases will have a severe outcome, and controversy as to which anten atal therapy is optimal for cases at high risk of a poor outcome.