Final answer:
The woman with rheumatoid arthritis may experience symptoms like fever, chills, itching, hives, difficulty breathing, blood in urine, and low blood pressure due to a transfusion reaction. Severe outcomes can include hypotension, multi-organ failure, and even death.
Step-by-step explanation:
The specific symptoms experienced by the 24-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis during a transfusion reaction may include a high fever, chills, pruritus (itching), urticaria (hives), dyspnea, hemoglobinuria (hemoglobin in the urine), and hypotension (low blood pressure). These symptoms can arise within 1 to 24 hours of receiving an incompatible transfusion. In severe cases, the reaction may lead to shock, multi-organ failure, and potentially, the death of the patient.
Potentially fatal symptoms include hypotension and ischemia due to blood coagulation, which can cause further complications such as kidney failure. In addition, conditions like systemic lupus erythematosus demonstrate how soluble antigens and antibodies can precipitate along blood vessel linings, leading to inflammation and possible tissue destruction, showcasing similar mechanisms to those in transfusion reactions.