Blood Transfusions in Thalassemia Patients, Complications and Adverse Effects

Patients suffering from Thalassemia or another hemoglobinopathies required regular blood transfusions. The complications and adverse effects of blood transfusions can be classified as immediate and late. Among the immediate effects the most common are allergic reactions and fever, besides congestive heart failure in patients with cardiomyopathy. The late effects are mostly related to blood transmitted infections like HIV or Hepatitis C infections. The purpose of this study is to summarize the data of those complications in a cohort of 100 patients receiving regular blood transfusion.