The Basics of Transfusion and Sickle Cell Disease

Alloimmunization after red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is a huge challenge in the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD). Even when donors and patients are "matched," anti-Rh antibodies in patients with sickle cell disease are formed way often than we would like or expect. Further, Dr. Stella Chou has shown that nearly a third of patients with those new antibodies actually have hemolytic transfusion reactions! It's a huge problem.

In this interview, Dr. Chou, a pediatric hematologist from Philadelphia, shows that the problem comes in part from widespread genetic RH variations in both Black blood donors and patients with sickle cell disease. She models a future direction that may help us finally solve this problem once and for all: Genotype matching of donors and patients!

NOTE: CE credit has expired for this episode.