National Blood Donor Month

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited blood disorders that  can cause red blood cells to become hard and sticky, blocking blood  and oxygen from reaching all parts of the body. This blockage can  lead to severe pain (also known as pain crises), infections, anemia,  stroke, and other serious health problems. January is National Blood  Donor Month and we are sharing resources and information on blood  transfusions and blood donation.

Blood transfusions can help people with SCD maintain good health

A blood transfusion is the process of putting new blood into a person’s body. Sickled red blood cells block oxygen carried through blood in the body, leading to mild-to-severe health problems. Healthy red blood cells from a transfusion can help deliver oxygen through the blood that sickled cells can’t to help decrease the health problems caused by SCD. In observance of National Blood Donor Month, we’re sharing resources to reduce transfusion-related health complications (health problems) in SCD, as well as educational materials to raise awareness about the importance of minority blood donations for people with SCD. 

Reduce transfusion-related health complications in SCD

A red blood cell transfusion is usually a safe and common procedure. Sometimes, however, people with SCD can experience health problems, such as infections and iron overload (a buildup of excess iron in the body), after receiving blood transfusions.

Find resources to learn about transfusions and blood donation

CDC strives to help improve the lives of people with SCD by identifying ways to reduce transfusion-related health complications and educating healthcare providers, patients, and their families about safe and healthy transfusions. Use these resources to learn about transfusion-related complications and find educational resources about the importance of minority blood donation.  

Transfusions

Learn about the Transfusion Complications Monitoring project, designed to reduce health issues that can occur after people with SCD receive blood transfusions.

Webinars/Educational Videos



Watch recordings of Blood Transfusions: What You Need to Know and Do, a 5-session webinar series, presented by the Sickle Cell Community Consortium and REdHHoTT, that helps people with SCD and their families learn how to make informed decisions about receiving blood transfusions.

Watch recordings of Reducing Complications of Therapeutic Blood Transfusions in Sickle Cell Disease, a 4-part educational video series for healthcare providers that covers strategies for reducing transfusion complications in people with SCD. For Continuing Education credits, go to www.cdc.gov/TCEOnline, click search, and type the course number in the module title. The course number starts with the letters “WD,” and is followed by four numbers.

Watch a CDC Expert Commentary on Medscape discussing the scenarios in which transfusions are appropriate for patients with SCD, the health problems associated with transfusions, and how to reduce the risk of health problems from transfusions.

Publications

Read “Characterizing Complication Risk for Multisite, Intermittent Transfusions for the Treatment of Sickle Cell Disease.” Using Georgia hospital discharge data from 2007 to 2016, researchers found that 19% of patients with SCD (1,585 of 8,529 patients) who received intermittent blood transfusions received those transfusions at more than one hospital (multisite transfusions). Multisite transfusions increased with the number of transfusions received, and patients ages 18–40 years had the highest number of multisite transfusions among all age groups. These findings suggest the need and importance of tracking and sharing transfusion histories across sites to reduce transfusion-related health complications. Download and view a brief summarizing the study and its results. 

• Read “Understanding the Complications of Sickle Cell Disease,” published in the American Journal of Nursing. This article provides an overview of major SCD-related health problems, as well as the steps nurses can take to address each one. Continuing Nursing Education credits are available. Download and print a free at-a-glance table, which highlights the information from the paper.

• Read more publications related to blood transfusions in SCD.

Blood Donation

• Visit MySleevesUp.com, a website created by REdHHoTT, to find educational resources and tools about blood donation and transfusions in SCD, and learn how you can help spread the word about blood donation in your community.

• Want to donate blood? Watch “The Importance of Blood Donation,” a short, educational video outlining the steps to donating blood and why your donation matters.

• Watch “Blood Donations Needed Among African Americans” and learn how blood donations can help save the lives of people with SCD. Share this video with family and friends on social media to spread awareness about the importance of minority blood donations!

• Read the Be the Motivation for Blood Donation pamphlet. Minority blood donations are important for people with SCD because blood from people of similar racial backgrounds are more likely to match, leading to fewer health problems for the recipient. 

• NEW! Sickle Cell Disease: Give Blood, Save a Life Podcast
  This new CDC podcast highlights the importance of blood donations from African Americans to help people with sickle cell disease who might need one or more blood transfusions. Access the podcast here

Want to learn more about SCD? Visit CDC's SCD website.

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