Summary
Aim of the study. To evaluate the prevalence of hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) due to Rh D antigen incompatibility in Lithuania from 2014 to 2023 at the national level and in Vilnius and Kaunas perinatology centers.
Material and methods. The study used data from the Lithuanian Institute of Hygiene's Medical Birth Data publications from 2014–2023, as well as the number of hemolytic disease cases in 2014–2020, which was obtained directly from the Institute of Hygiene. The analysis included the total number of cases, the number of cases per 10,000 live births, and the number of cases per 1,000 Rh D negative mothers. Since the Rh D status of pregnant women began to be systematically recorded only in 2021, a retrospective reconstruction was applied to estimate the prevalence in the relevant population – Rh D negative mothers – for the period 2014–2020. The average proportion of Rh D negative mothers from 2021–2023 was applied to the number of live births in the previous years. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Office Excel and R Studio software. Differences were considered statistically significant when the p-value was less than 0.05 (p < 0.05).
Results. A total of 360 cases of the disease were registered in Lithuania between 2014 and 2023. The average number of cases was 14.7 per 10,000 live births (SD = 4.02), and 8.26 per 1,000 Rh D negative mothers (SD = 2.21). In the Vilnius perinatology center, the number of cases per 1,000 Rh D negative mothers was nearly twice the national average, while in Kaunas it was about three times lower. Nationally, no statistically significant trend was observed during the study period (p = 0.9911), whereas a significant decrease was identified in Kaunas (p = 0.0283).
Conclusions. The prevalence of hemolytic disease of the newborn in Lithuania remained stable over the past decade. However, significant differences between the Vilnius and Kaunas perinatology centers suggest a need to revise current diagnostic methodologies and ensure consistent care of pregnant women across the country.
