NHS to match blood genetically for people with sickle cell and thalassemia in England

The NHS in England will soon introduce a new genetic blood matching test for people with sickle cell disease or thalassemia to match transfusions to patients better and reduce painful side effects.

Although blood is currently matched by blood group, differences within blood groups can trigger immune responses to transfused blood cells in just under a fifth (17%) of patients, leading to side effects.

To reduce these reactions, NHS …