Noninfectious complications of blood transfusion

The noninfectious complications of blood transfusion consist of a diverse group of immune-mediated transfusion reactions that range from immediate life-threatening to subclinical reactions. Each reaction involves the recognition and interaction of the both the humoral and cellular immune systems. In the past, many of the noninfectious complications of transfusion were attributed solely to antigen-antibody interactions. Today, an emerging body of evidence suggests that cytokines and cytokine inhibitors play a central role in the pathophysiology of immune-mediated transfusion reactions and account for the broad diversity of clinical presentations.