Demand for blood donations to treat the disease has risen by 67% over the past five years.
Currently the NHS is only able to provide transfusions that match patients' blood types just over half the time.This leaves other patients being treated with the universal blood type, O negative, which, though clinically safe, can eventually lead to complications.Some 55% of black people have a Ro blood type, compared to 2% of the wider population.
Lanre Ogundimu from South London has sickle cell and nearly died in 2018 from an adverse reaction to a blood donation. Although the major blood groups were matched, she reacted to a minor blood group and the lack of ethnically-matched blood increases the risk of these reactions.Lanre, a radio producer, said:"I can't receive blood as a standard treatment anymore. Well-matched blood from within the black community can be the difference between life or death."
Cherrelle Lawrence, a Senior Biomedical Scientist at NHSBT's blood matching lab in London, said:"Matched blood is vital for sickle cell patients to reduce the risk of serious complications. People from the same ethnic background are more likely to have matching blood. "There is a rise in black people donating blood, but we urgently need more to become regular donors. Giving blood is easy, quick and safe - and you will save and improve lives."
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