What causes fetal hydrops?
What causes fetal hydrops?
Hydrops fetalis usually stems from fetal anemia, when the heart needs to pump a much greater volume of blood to deliver the same amount of oxygen. This anemia can have either an immune or non-immune cause. Alpha-thalassemia can also cause hydrops fetalis when all four of the genetic loci for α globin are deleted or affected by mutation.
What is fetal hydrops?
Hydrops fetalis (fetal hydrops) is a pathologic condition of excessive accumulation of fluid in at least two extravascular compartments, including fetal soft tissues and body cavities. It is the physiological end-stage process in a number of fetal conditions and placental pathologies.
