Transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease (TA-GVHD) and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD): Pathophysiology and management (contrasted and compared)

Transfusion of blood products is a common lifesaving medical procedure in clinical practice. However, it poses the risk of potential adverse reactions for the recipient. Transfusion-associated graft-versus-host-disease (TA-GVHD) is a rare adverse event, fatal in >90% of cases. TA-GVHD pathophysiology is not completely understood involving two factors: (i) underlying immunosuppression and (ii) human leukocyte antigen compatibility between blood donor and recipient. Clinical presentation is not specific, and the difficulty in correlating the clinical syndrome to the transfusion renders diagnosis challenging. As no effective treatment exists to date, irradiation of blood products remains the cornerstone of TA-GVHD prevention. Distinct differences emerge in comparing TA-GVHD to GVHD, a common event of the bone marrow graft to the recipient after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; thus, GVHD may be a helpful disease model used to better understand TA-GVHD. This is a review of TA-GVHD in comparison with GVHD.