immunologically mediated transfusional reactions

Abstract

The potential complications of blood transfusion therapy are multiple but most of them occur only in patients requiring repeated transfusions. Risks associated with transfusion of a single unit of blood are low; however, they must be weighted against the benefits at the time each transfusion is ordered. Transfusion reactions can be classified as either immunologic or non-immunologic. Many immune reactions are caused by stimulation of antibody production by foreign alloantigens present on transfused red cells, leukocytes, platelets, or plasma proteins. Such alloimmunization may lead to future immunologically mediated reactions when transfusions carrying these antigens are administered. These include hemolytic reactions caused by red blood cell incompatibility; febrile or pulmonary reactions caused by leukocytes and platelet antigens; allergic or anaphylactic reactions caused by antibodies reacting with soluble antigens, usually plasma proteins, and other reactions of lesser importance.