It will be a great pleasure to join a lot of friends for this benefit event to raise funds for NAITbabies.org!
Find us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/675100982849611/
https://www.facebook.com/naitbabies.org/
Book your place here:
www.bookwhen.com/naitbabies
What are NAITbabies?
Blood platelets stop the bleeding when you have an injury. Just like for red blood cells where you can be of A, B or O blood type, there are differences between blood platelet types. Neonatal AlloImmune Thrombocytopenia (NAIT) occurs in about 1 in 1,000 pregnancies, but only 1 in 10 of those will be severely affected. It happens when a woman is pregnant and her platelet type is not compatible with the platelet type of the father. Her body will recognise the baby’s platelets as foreign and will have an immune response and make antibodies against the baby’s platelets. These antibodies will destroy the baby’s platelets. Often the baby still has (just) enough platelets and they have no symptoms and no treatment is required. However, low platelet counts put the baby at risk of bleeding in the brain and/or other major organs and results in death or lifelong disabilities.
There is no routine blood test that is performed in pregnancy to see if a mother has antibodies to platelets. Most mothers do not even know they have this disease unless they give birth to a baby with a low platelet count or if their sister gives birth to an affected baby.
There is no cure for NAIT. Women are given a medication called intravenous immune globulin, which is made from antibodies from many people, to prevent a low platelet count in the baby. This is often successful, but it is not known how the intravenous immune globulin works. The baby can also be given platelet transfusions in the womb, but these are given with a big needle and there is the risk of bleeding due to puncture of the umbilical cord, which could lead to loss of the pregnancy. Furthermore, platelets only last 7 to 10 days, so this is only a short-term treatment.
Naitbabies are a patient organisation run by families who provide support to others affected by NAIT, promote research into NAIT, and advance the education of the public. Their aim is to see prenatal screening of all pregnant women for NAIT.
There is no routine blood test that is performed in pregnancy to see if a mother has antibodies to platelets. Most mothers do not even know they have this disease unless they give birth to a baby with a low platelet count or if their sister gives birth to an affected baby.
There is no cure for NAIT. Women are given a medication called intravenous immune globulin, which is made from antibodies from many people, to prevent a low platelet count in the baby. This is often successful, but it is not known how the intravenous immune globulin works. The baby can also be given platelet transfusions in the womb, but these are given with a big needle and there is the risk of bleeding due to puncture of the umbilical cord, which could lead to loss of the pregnancy. Furthermore, platelets only last 7 to 10 days, so this is only a short-term treatment.
Naitbabies are a patient organisation run by families who provide support to others affected by NAIT, promote research into NAIT, and advance the education of the public. Their aim is to see prenatal screening of all pregnant women for NAIT.
