Transfusion Reaction

May there be risks associated with blood transfusion for the recipient. Fever-hemolytic transfusion reactions is the most common risk associated with the process of blood transfusion. It is generally associated with fever resolve without treatment, without side effects or long-term problems. Various hemolytic reactions include back pain, chest pain, chills, cyanosis, dyspnea, headache, hypotension and tachycardia. Blood products may be contaminated with bacteria, but it is very rare. The seriousness of the risks associated with bacterial infection and sepsis is about 1 to 50,000 transfusions of platelets and 1 in 500 000 transfusions of red blood cells. Data published in 2002.

Viral infections can get transferred to the recipient. Approximately one out of every 250,000 units of blood showed that carries the risk of hepatitis B. The acquisition of HIV or hepatitis C through blood transfusions, about 1 in 2 million (2 million) units.

Transfusion related acute lung injury at the (Search) is another adverse effect of blood transfusion. It is an acute respiratory distress syndrome. Fever, hypotension and non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema are common symptoms. This can happen in about 1 in every 2000 transfusions. Symptoms may be mild or it can be life threatening, and recovery can occur within 96 hours with the mortality rate of less than 10%.

Volume overload, graft vs. host disease, iron overload (more red blood cell transfusions) and anaphylactic reactions (IgA deficiency), acute hemolytic reaction (wrong blood type) are other risks associated with blood transfusion.

There was no significant correlation was seen between the risk of blood transfusion and age.

Compatibility In Blood Group

The role of Rh group is most important in the hemolytic disease of the new born as also the fetus. If an expecting mother is Rh negative, but carries a fetus which is Rh positive, then she can be immunized against the Rh antigen. This is not very important in the first pregnancy. But the mother may develop an immune response against the Rh antigen in the subsequent pregnancies. The immune system of the mother can attack the red blood cells of the baby through the placenta. This can lead to disability and can be fatal in more severe cases.


Many infectious diseases can be transmitted by transfusion. These can pass from the donor to the recipient. The list of diseases include -

* Chagas Disease,
* HIV-1 & HIV-2,
* Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV-1 & HTLV-2),
* Hepatitis B & C,
* Malaria
* Treponema pallidum,
* Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (also called the “Mad Cow Disease”)