Are there risks in receiving designated donor or allogeneic blood?
All donors are screened and donor blood tested, but there are still risks with any transfusion. The following are odds of infection from studies published in 1996: • Infection with the AIDS virus: 1 in 675,000 transfusions. • Infection with HTLV: 1 in 640,000 transfusions. • Infection with Hepatitis B virus: 1 in 63,000 transfusions. • Infection with Hepatitis C virus: 1 in 100,000 transfusions. Other possible adverse reactions to a blood product include: • Graft versus Host Disease (GVHD) – A potentially life-threatening reaction from transfusion between blood relatives. Irradiation of the donated blood prevents this occurence, and is performed on all units of designated donor blood from blood relatives. As a precaution, women who may become pregnant should not receive a designated donation from their husband or partner, as it may be harmful to future children. Severe allergic reaction to a blood product — 1 in 100,000 transfusions. Most allergic reactions are mild and cause a slight
