Below are symptoms of a patient related to the Immune and Lymphatic Systems. Identify all anatomical structures related to and/or that are being affected.

Question

1.Explain how the anatomical structures and their physiological function/dysfunction are interrelated normally and what is going wrong with the structures. 2. Identify and explain possible a diagnosis and what can be done to fix or reverse the current situation described in the patient.

Patient Case:

Donna is a 35 year old female who is married and has a 5 year old daughter. Donna recently found out she was pregnant, but last week at 12 weeks she started to spot and went to see the doctor. At the doctors, Donna found out she was having a miscarriage and the doctors decided to look at her blood type and seemed very alarmed and asked her who her doctor was for her first child. Her blood type was A-. 

Answer 1

The case study is indicating a concern for ABO incompatibility. The antigens occurring on type A erythrocytes are understood as "self" to the innate and adaptive immune system. Though type A blood already has "anti B" antibodies, which will cause a transfusion reaction in first direct contact, a pregnancy with a different blood type, B or AB, not having initial direct contact, will sensitize the mother's immune response during a first pregnancy and may only cause fetal increase in bilirubin with the exposure of the fetal blood to the mother. A second pregnancy with incompatible blood type would most likely result in an immune response to destroy the incompatible or "non self" cells, thus resulting in miscarriage.

Answer 2

The patient seems to have issue with her immune system due to her rare blood type and the miscarriege may be due to her antibodies attacking the antigens of unborn fetus.