Allergic reactions and fever are the most common side effects of blood transfusions seen in children, according to a recent study published in the journal Children.
Blood transfusions are used to treat many serious conditions, including fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT). While blood transfusions can help save lives, they can sometimes have side effects.
This study looked at blood transfusions given to children at a large hospital in Turkey over seven years, from August 2017 to August 2024. During this time, 30,265 blood transfusions were given to 3,861 children, ranging in age from 7 days to 17.5 years old.
Out of all these transfusions, only 34 caused an adverse reaction (the medical term for ‘side effect’). This means that side effects happened in about one out of every 1,000 transfusions.
The study authors found that side effects happened most often with transfusions of platelets—small cell fragments that help blood clot and stop bleeding. Side effects occurred less frequently with plasma transfusions and were least often observed with red blood cell transfusions.
Most side effects were mild. The most common were mild allergic reactions (64.7%). Fever was the second most common side effect (17.6%). Less common side effects included trouble breathing (5.9%), serious allergic reactions (2.9%) and acute haemolytic reactions (2.9%), which occur when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the red blood cells given during a transfusion.
Read more about FNAIT treatment and care
Most side effects occurred about 45 minutes after the transfusion began. Common symptoms included redness, itching, rashes, hives and fever. Besides stopping the blood transfusion, doctors usually give antihistamines or steroids to treat these side effects.
The researchers found no mistakes in how the blood was prepared or given to the patients.
Reporting blood transfusion side effects—a process called haemovigilance—is very important, the researchers wrote. “The dissemination of haemovigilance experiences may facilitate the enhancement of blood transfusion safety in neonatal and paediatric patients, while also increasing the awareness of paediatricians regarding transfusion reactions.”
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