A preliminary comparison of the prevalence of transfusion reactions in recipients of platelet components from donors with and without human leucocyte antigen antibodies.
BACKGROUND
Human leucocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies have been implicated in transfusion-related acute lung injury, but the probability that the transfusion of a blood component containing HLA antibodies will cause a reaction is not known. This study compared the prevalence of reactions associated with the transfusion of platelet components with and without HLA antibodies.


METHODS
This retrospective study tested 96 consecutive apheresis platelet donors for HLA class I and II antibodies. Matched control donors without HLA antibodies were selected and records were reviewed to determine the proportion of components from each group that caused reactions. In addition, all apheresis platelet donors involved with two or more reactions were identified and tested for HLA class I antibodies.


RESULTS
Five of the 96 donors had antibodies to class I or class II antigens and, of these, four had components transfused. The prevalence of reactions to components from these four donors with HLA antibodies and the 12 matched control donors without antibodies was similar (three reactions to 167 transfusions or 1.8% vs. three to 295 or 1.0%, respectively, P = 0.32). A retrospective review of the transfusion records from all platelet donors found that components from 22 caused two or more reactions and three (13.6%) had antibodies to HLA class I compared to 4.2% of the consecutively selected donors (P = 0.12). None of the patients experienced transfusion-related acute lung injury.


CONCLUSIONS
Reactions associated with transfusion of apheresis platelets containing HLA antibodies are unusual.
Fadeyi
E A
EA
Department of Transfusion Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center, Bethesda, MD 20892-1184, USA.
Adams
S
S
Sheldon
S
S
Leitman
S F
SF
Wesley
R
R
Klein
H G
HG
Stroncek
D F
DF
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001782:Blood Donors; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D007518:Isoantibodies / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008396:Maryland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D017713:Platelet Transfusion / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D006680:HLA Antigens; D007518:Isoantibodies