Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 25, 2026

A Precision Medicine Tool for Measurement and Monitoring of Hemoglobin S in Sickle Cell Disease Patients Receiving Transfusion Therapy
Severe hemolytic transfusion reaction due to anti-D in a D+ patient with sickle cell disease
Tina S Ipe1, Jennifer J Wilkes, Helge D Hartung
1*Department of Pathology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX Departments of †Pediatrics §Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA ‡Immunohematology and Genomics Laboratory, New York Blood Center, New York City, NY.
Abstract:
A 5-year-old male with sickle cell disease presented with pain, dark urine, and fatigue 10 days after a red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. Laboratory evaluation demonstrated severe anemia, blood type O+, and anti-D in the serum. Anti-D in a D+ patient led to RH genotyping, which revealed homozygosity for RHD*DAU4 that encodes partial D antigen. Anti-D in this patient whose RBCs exclusively express partial D caused a delayed hemolytic transfusion reaction after exposure to D+ RBCs. The finding of anti-D in a D+patient should be investigated by molecular methods to help distinguish an alloantibody from an autoantibody.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Blood Transfusion and Agglutination
History
The history of blood transfusion dates back to the 17th century, when early attempts were made in animals. In 1818 James Blundell, a British doctor, performed the first successful human blood transfusion. Later in 1900, Karl...
Blood Transfusion
Blood Transfusion Overview
A blood transfusion is a medical procedure used to replace blood lost due to injury, surgery, or to treat conditions such as anemia or cancer. During a transfusion, donor blood is...
Blood Typing
Antigens are protein molecules that reside on the surface of red blood cells (RBCs). The ABO and Rh blood typing systems target...
Hypersensitivity Reactions: Cytolytic Reactions
Rh Blood Group
Bone Marrow Sampling and Transplants
The transplant begins with high doses of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, which aim to destroy...

