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Shiny K. Kajal: Why Blood from First-Degree Relatives is Not Recommended for Transfusion
Shiny K. Kajal/LinkedIn
Feb 14, 2026, 15:24

Shiny K. Kajal: Why Blood from First-Degree Relatives is Not Recommended for Transfusion

Shiny K. Kajal, Senior Resident at Adesh University, shared a post on LinkedIn:

” ‘Have you ever heard blood banks say that directed donation from immediate family members is not accepted?’

Here’s why 

  • It’s not about mistrust.
  • It’s not about infection.
  • It’s about immunology.

First-degree relatives share HLA haplotypes.

When such blood is transfused:

  • Donor viable T-lymphocytes enter the recipient
  • Due to partial HLA similarity, the recipient’s immune system may fail to recognize them as foreign
  • These donor T-cells engraft, proliferate, and attack host tissues

This leads to Transfusion-Associated Graft-Versus-Host Disease (TA-GVHD) —
a rare but often fatal (>90% mortality) complication.

Even an immunocompetent person is at risk if HLA similarity allows donor cells to escape rejection.

That is why blood banks avoid directed donation from immediate family.
If unavoidable, irradiated blood components are mandatory to inactivate donor T-cells.

The issue is not compatibility —it is HLA similarity leading to lethal immune attack.”

Shiny K. Kajal: Why Blood from First-Degree Relatives is Not Recommended for Transfusion

Find more posts featuring Shiny K. Kajal on Hemostasis Today.

Blood donation Blood Transfusion Health Hematology Hemostasis Hemostasis News Hemostasis Today HLA Immunology Medicine Shiny K Kajal Transfusion-Associated Graft-Versus-Host Disease
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