What Are the Risks of a Blood Transfusion?
Most blood transfusions go very smoothly. However,
mild problems and, very rarely, serious problems can occur.
Allergic Reaction
Some people have allergic reactions to the blood
given during transfusions. This can happen even when the blood given is the
right blood type.
Allergic reactions can be mild or severe. Symptoms
can include:
- Anxiety
- Chest and/or back pain
- Trouble breathing
- Fever, chills, flushing, and clammy skin
- A high pulse or low blood pressure
- Nausea (feeling sick to the stomach)
A transfusion is stopped at the first signs of an
allergic reaction. The health care team determines how mild or severe the
reaction is, what treatments are needed, and if the transfusion can safely be
restarted.
Viruses and Infectious Diseases
Some infectious agents, such as HIV, can survive in
blood and infect the person receiving the blood transfusion. To keep blood
safe, blood banks carefully screen donated blood.
There is a risk of catching a virus from a blood
transfusion, but it's very low.
- HIV. Your risk of getting HIV from a blood
transfusion is lower than your risk of getting killed by lightning. Only about
1 in 2 million donations may carry HIV and transmit HIV if given to a patient.
- Hepatitis B and C. The risk of having a donation
that carries hepatitis B is about 1 in 205,000. The risk for hepatitis C is 1
in 2 million. If you receive blood during a transfusion that contains
hepatitis, you will likely develop the virus.
- Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). Variant
CJD is the human version of Mad Cow Disease. It's a very rare, yet fatal brain
disorder. There is a possible risk of getting vCJD from a blood transfusion,
although the risk is very low. Because of this, people who may have been
exposed to vCJD aren't eligible blood donors. Go to the
AABB Web site for more information about vCJD.
Fever
You may get a sudden fever during or within a day of
your blood transfusion. This is usually your body's normal response to white
blood cells in the donated blood. Over-the-counter fever medicine will usually
treat the fever.
Some blood banks remove white blood cells from whole
blood or different parts of the blood. This makes it less likely that you will
have a reaction after the transfusion.
Iron Overload
Getting many blood transfusions can cause too much
iron to build up in your blood (iron overload). People with a blood disorder
like
thalassemia,
which requires multiple transfusions, are at risk of iron overload. Iron
overload can damage your liver, heart, and other parts of your body.
If you have iron overload, you may need iron
chelation therapy. For this therapy, medicine is given through an injection or
as a pill to remove the extra iron from your body.
Lung Injury
Although it's unlikely, blood transfusions can
damage your lungs, making it difficult to breathe. This usually occurs within
about 6 hours of the procedure. Most patients recover. However, 5 to 25 percent
of patients who develop lung injuries die from the injury. These people usually
were very ill before the transfusion.
Doctors aren't completely sure why blood
transfusions damage the lungs. Antibodies (proteins)which are more likely
to be found in the plasma of women who have been pregnantmay disrupt the
normal way that lung cells work. Because of this risk, hospitals are starting
to use men and women's plasma differently.
Acute Immune Hemolytic Reaction
Acute immune hemolytic reaction is very serious, but
also very rare. It occurs if the blood type you get during a transfusion
doesn't match or work with your blood type. Your body attacks the new red blood
cells, which then produce substances that harm your kidneys.
The symptoms include chills, fever, nausea, pain in
the chest or back, and dark urine. The doctor will stop the transfusion at the
first sign of this reaction.
Delayed Hemolytic Reaction
This is a much slower version of acute immune
hemolytic reaction. Your body destroys red blood cells so slowly that the
problem can go unnoticed until your red blood cell level is very low.
Both the acute and delayed hemolytic reactions are
most common in patients who have had a previous transfusion.
Graft-Versus-Host Disease
Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is when white blood
cells in the new blood attack your tissues. GVHD is usually fatal. People who
have weakened immune systems are the most likely to get GVHD.
Symptoms start within a month of the blood
transfusion. They include fever, rash, and diarrhea. To protect against GVHD,
patients with weakened immune systems should receive blood that has been
treated so the white blood cells can't cause GVHD. |