Clinical value of combination detection of direct antiglobulin test and serum albumin globulin ratio in severe hyperbilirubinemia caused by ABO hemolytic disease of the newborn

Abstract

Background To explore of a combination of antiglobulin test(DAT) and albumin globulin ratio(AGR) could predict the severity of ABO hemolytic disease of the newborn(ABO-HDN).

Methods The measurement of DAT, AGR and combination detection of DAT and AGR was done to predict severe ABO-HDN hyperbilirubinemia in 270 full-term infants based on whether the infants received transfusions of blood components. The infants were divided into three groups according to the results of DAT and ARG and compared the differences of phototherapy day and hospitalization day of the three groups.

Results Of the 270 cases enrolled in this study, 69 infants were DAT positive. Peak total bilirubin, AGR, and positive DAT were independently associated with the need for blood components transfusion. ROC curve analysis for blood components transfusion showed that DAT cutoff value >± with a sensitivity of 39.4% and a specificity of 83.9%, AGR cutoff value <2.05 with a sensitivity of 54.1% and a specificity of 85.7%, and combination detection of DAT and ARG with a sensitivity of 62.1% and a specificity of 91.2%. The AUCs for DAT, AGR, and combination detection of DAT and AGR were .621, .740, and .750 respectively. The phototherapy day and hospitalization day were significantly longer in group of AGR <2.05 and DAT >± than that of a group of AGR <2.05 and group of DAT >±.

Conclusions DAT and ARG could be early predictors for the severity ABO-HDN hyperbilirubinemia and combination detection of DAT and AGR could further increase its predictive value.

Keywords:

• Direct antiglobulin test
• albumin globulin ratio
• ABO hemolytic disease of the newborn
• neonatal hyperbilirubinemia
• retrospective analysis

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the contributions of colleagues in department of medical records and department od neonatal medicine to this work. We would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful remarks. We thank the associate editor and the reviewers for their useful feedback that improved this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the funding of Wuhan Children’s Hospital (Wuhan Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital), Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology: 2019FE010.