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The FDA's warning comes as the number of transfusions is

June 28, 2019 by Carolyn Mueller

The FDA's warning comes as the number of transfusions is increasing. But there are questions about the safety of these plasma products. For example, one study found that the plasma from a person at younger ages is more toxic than that of a person at older ages and might cause liver damage to older persons.

And there seems to be no evidence that younger participants in the study were harmed at high doses.

In June, the FDA issued a warning about blood transfusions for some people at 18 and 19 years old, which it said "could have adverse effects on cognitive and health outcomes, including mood, mood-related problems, and seizures." The warning was not specific to younger people, and there was no reason to believe that older individuals or couples who have been exposed to plasma from older people could also experience adverse effects on those at younger ages.

On Tuesday, another FDA warning was issued on how to prevent transfusions of plasma from older people, which it said was "unlikely" to cause major health problems.

And on Monday, the FDA issued an advisory on plasma from older people and their families. The advisory warned that "the use of plasma from older people is not recommended for children of deceased caregivers."

Marks says the FDA has not seen a case of a pregnant woman getting transfusions from younger people, but says the FDA doesn't believe those people are being harmed by them. (In fact, it said the blood may still be more toxic to unborn babies.)