22/01/2024
From today, thousands of people with sickle cell disorder and thalassaemia in England will have access to a world-first ‘blood matching’ genetic test on the NHS to better match their future blood transfusions, reducing the risk of side effects and offering more personalised care.
The NHS is the first healthcare system in the world to provide a new blood group genotyping test which is set to transform care for patients living with sickle cell disorder and thalassaemia, with almost 18,000 people in England now being eligible.
The tests will be carried out at NHS Blood and Transplant’s (NHSBT) Diagnostics department in Bristol.
Live-saving transfusions are commonly used to treat rare inherited blood disorders, but around a fifth of patients develop antibodies against certain blood groups following transfusion. They can then experience delays to treatment due to the difficulty in finding enough matching blood and sometimes blood transfusion reactions.
To help improve blood-matching and reduce the risk of antibodies developing, NHS England, in partnership with NHSBT, is encouraging patients with sickle cell, thalassaemia and transfusion-dependent rare inherited anaemias to have this test taken alongside their routine hospital blood tests.
In England, there are around 17,000 people living with sickle cell disorder, with 250 new cases a year. The disorder can result in severe organ damage and intense pain if damaged red blood cells block vessels and restrict oxygen supply – it is more common in people of Black African and Caribbean heritage.
People with thalassaemia cannot produce enough haemoglobin, which is used by red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body, causing severe anaemia, which can be fatal if not treated. Thalassaemia is mainly seen in those with an Asian, Middle Eastern, or Southern Mediterranean heritage.
The blood group genotyping test will also help patients living with transfusion-dependent rare inherited anaemias, such as Diamond Blackfan Anaemia, a disorder that affects people’s production of red blood cells.
To learn more about this testing, please visit our website. If you have any questions, please contact our team at PublicAffairs@nhsbt.nhs.uk.
