American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Certification Practice Exam

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Leukoreduction is used to reduce what risk related to platelet transfusions?

Transfusion reactions
Viral transmission
Iron overload
Anemia

The correct answer is: Transfusion reactions

Leukoreduction is a process that involves filtering blood products, such as platelet transfusions, to remove white blood cells (leukocytes). The primary goal of leukoreduction is to decrease the incidence and severity of febrile non-hemolytic transfusion reactions. These reactions occur when the recipient's immune system reacts to the leukocytes present in the transfused platelets, leading to fever and other symptoms. By reducing the number of donor white blood cells, leukoreduction minimizes this immune response, thereby enhancing the safety of platelet transfusions. While leukoreduction may have secondary benefits that can marginally reduce risks associated with viral transmission, it is not specifically aimed at this issue. Additionally, leukoreduction does not relate significantly to iron overload or anemia, which are concerns associated with red blood cell transfusions rather than platelet transfusions. Thus, the definitive benefit of leukoreduction is fundamentally focused on reducing the risk of transfusion reactions related to the presence of leukocytes.