What disease requires blood transfusion

Everyone who has been to college knows that the school organizes voluntary blood donation every year. We only know that the blood will be used on patients, but we don’t know which patients it will be used on or what diseases require blood transfusions. Like anemia that we often hear about, if the condition is serious, blood transfusion is needed. Acute hemolytic anemia also requires blood transfusion. Below are some diseases that require blood transfusion. Let’s take a look.

■ Acute onset of hemolytic anemia:

Patients with acute hemolytic anemia have hemoglobin levels that drop rapidly to very low levels, and symptoms of hypoxia are obvious, so they urgently need blood transfusions to alleviate the hypoxic state. Blood transfusions are also needed when aplastic crisis or hemolytic crisis occurs suddenly.

■ Myelohypoplastic anemia:

In patients with pure red blood cell aplasia, advanced myelofibrosis, anemia due to chronic renal failure, etc., if the hemoglobin level is below 60-70g/L and is accompanied by symptoms of hypoxia, blood transfusions should be relied upon to increase the hemoglobin level to maintain life.

■ Patients with refractory anemia, etc.:

Blood transfusion is best for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndrome or refractory anemia when treatment is ineffective and anemia is severe.

■ Severe anemia:

Patients with severe β-thalassemia, severe intermediate β-thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, etc. often have severe anemia and require long-term blood transfusions to maintain life, which suppresses the hematopoietic function of the bone marrow.

■ Acute massive blood loss:

When the amount of blood loss is estimated to exceed 15% of the total body blood volume, blood transfusion should be given. If blood transfusion is not ready, fluid replacement should be given first.

■ Severe bleeding and anemia:

When there is severe bleeding and anemia due to lack of blood coagulation factors or platelets, fresh whole blood transfusion is also needed to supplement red blood cells, coagulation factors and platelets.

In addition, the disadvantages of blood transfusion therapy are emphasized:

1. Foreign blood cells will die naturally after a certain period of time and can only be saved temporarily.

2. Excessive and frequent blood transfusions lead to dependence, resulting in the decline of the body's own hematopoietic mechanism

3. Improper disinfection will form a new source of infection, and hemophilia will develop if treatment fails.

4. If there is a problem with blood products, you may accidentally get infected with other difficult-to-treat diseases.

5. It consumes your money and energy

6. Decreased immune function