What is a common side effect that may occur during a blood transfusion?

Fever and chills are indeed common side effects that may occur during a blood transfusion. This reaction is often a result of the body's immune response to the transfused blood components, especially if the recipient has developed antibodies against certain antigens present in the donated blood. Keeping an eye on the patient for these symptoms is crucial because they can indicate a febrile non-hemolytic transfusion reaction, which, while generally mild, signals that close monitoring is needed.

In contrast, other side effects such as itching at the injection site, hypertension, or abdominal cramps might occur but are less typical for standard blood transfusions. Itching is often localized and could indicate an allergic response, hypertension can arise from various causes unrelated to the transfusion, and abdominal cramps may be associated with other underlying conditions or reactions but are not as specifically linked to transfusions as fever and chills.