When an organ is replaced with someone else’s, the body needs immunosuppressants because of the foreign object now in the body. Why is the same not true for a blood transfusion?

Question

Basically title! I was wondering about this. Thanks!

In: 144

Answer 1

In addition to what others said about blood not lasting very long in the body, there *is* an immune response against transfused blood, targeting certain surface molecules on blood cells. This is why blood types are so important for transfusions – blood type determines what surface molecules your blood cells have, and the immune system will attack anything that has a molecule you lack.