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.”
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