Graft-v-Host Disease Following Blood Transfusions

Graft-v-host disease (GVHD) is the clinicopathologic syndrome that results from the reaction initiated by a "graft" of immunologically competent lymphocytes introduced into a "host" that confronts the graft with a histocompatibility difference, but is unable to mount an immunologic attack against the donor lymphoid cells. Although GVHD is most commonly recognized as a complication of allogeneic marrow transplantation, GVHD has also been reported following transfusion of nonirradiated blood products to patients with compromised immunologic function. Graft-v-host disease has been described in neonates who received intrauterine or exchange transfusions for hemolytic disease of the newborn,¹ in children with congenital immune deficiency or progressive vaccinia necrosum who were given fresh plasma or blood,² in patients with leukemia or lymphoma who were given granulocyte transfusions,^3,4 and in patients with neuroblastoma⁵ or Hodgkin's disease⁶ who were given transfusions of packed RBCs only.

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