Men may be at-risk of death when receiving blood from mums
- The most common cause of such death is transfusion-related acute lung injury
- Women are unaffected by receiving blood from females who have been pregnant
- Researchers are unsure why such blood donations solely cause male mortality
- Further investigation is required to uncover the cause of these deaths in men
- Expert adds results may vary between populations with different genetics
Alexandra Thompson Health Reporter For Mailonline
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Men are more likely to die prematurely if they receive blood from a woman who has been pregnant, new research reveals.
The most common cause of such male deaths is transfusion-related acute lung injury, a study found, which causes sufferers to be unable to take in sufficient air.
For unclear reasons, women are unaffected by receiving blood from once-pregnant females, the research adds.
Researchers say further investigation is required to determine why this male-specific death risk occurs.
Professor Kevin McConway, from The Open University, who was not involved in the study, said: ‘It’s important not to read too much into this study. I’m a man, and I wouldn’t be concerned.’
Men are more likely to die early if they receive blood from a woman who has been pregnant
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WHAT IS TRANSFUSION-RELATED ACUTE LUNG INJURY?
Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) is a rare but serious condition that affects around one in 5,000 people within six hours of receiving blood.
It is defined as having sudden breathing difficulties.
TRALI is usually caused by the activation of white blood cells received from the donor.
Symptoms include breathlessness and abnormally rapid breathing.
Most patients require ventilation support.
Source: Canadian Blood Services
How the research was carried out
Researchers from Sanquin Research in Leiden, the Netherlands, analysed death rates among 31,118 patients who received 59,320 blood transfusions across six hospitals.
Of which, 13 per cent of patients died after receiving donors’ blood.
Three types of donors were evaluated: men, women who had previously been pregnant and women who had never been pregnant.
Men more at risk of death when receiving blood from a pregnant women
Results reveal deaths are significantly more likely to occur in men receiving blood from a woman who has been pregnant as opposed to a male donor.
The most common cause of death is transfusion-related acute lung injury.
Females receiving blood from once-pregnant women are unaffected.
It is unclear why this occurs.
The findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
For unclear reasons, women are unaffected by receiving blood from once-pregnant females
‘I’m a man and I wouldn’t be concerned’
Study author Dr Rutger Middelburg: ‘Further research is needed to replicate these findings, determine their clinical significance and identify the underlying mechanism.’
Professor McConway added: ‘Maybe there is some difference between men who received blood from women who had been pregnant, and men who had blood from other donors, that has nothing to do with the source of the blood they received.
‘Even if the effect on mortality is real, all the data come from the population of the Netherlands, and things may work differently in populations with different genetic backgrounds.
‘For all these reasons and others, it’s important not to read too much into this study, and I don’t think there is yet any real cause for men to be particularly concerned about this issue if they need a blood transplant. At least, I’m a man, and I wouldn’t be concerned.’
A spokesman for NHS Blood and Transplant said: ‘As the authors of this study have made clear, further research is needed to determine if its finding have any clinical significance.
‘Blood donations from all our donors are lifesaving, and we continue to encourage donations from women who have previously been pregnant.’
He said information of the sex of the donor is not currently provided to hospitals or patients, but each donation is tracked from donor to recipient, so it would be possible if needed in future to separate out blood by gender.
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