Medical Questions » Blood Questions » Question No. 132
| Question: | My nephew had a blood transfusion recently, and during the transfusion his temperature rose to 39 degrees. He was not told why and he still wants to know. I told him you would know, and that' s why I' m writing. |
| Answer: | Your confidence in my knowledge is most flattering, and I do have an explanation for your nephew.
Most people know that it is necessary to cross-match blood before it is given to a patient, so that the blood of the patient and the donor are compatible. There are four main blood groups—A, B, O and AB. These are further divided into those that are Rhesus negative and Rhesus positive. A person can therefore be one of eight different combinations—ie: A+ or A—, 0+ or O—, B+ or B—, and AB+ or AB-.
This is complex enough, and for most purposes, this is all that is required. There are about a dozen sub-groups beyond this classification. In most cases these further sub-groups make no significant difference to the patient receiving the blood, but in some cases, a transfusion reaction can occur if there is a very slight mismatch of the blood with regard to one of these minor sub-groups.
The most common transfusion reaction is a raised temperature. Other problems that can occur are muscle pains, headaches, and shortness of breath. Very rarely does any transfusion reaction become worse than this, and most patients have no reaction at all. Your nephew was just a little bit unlucky. |
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