How Effective Is Plasma Treatment Against COVID?

Plasma treatment is a Covid treatment method in which the antibodies of Covid recovered patients are used to prevent viral multiplication. Many countries have adopted Convalescent plasma (CCP) for the treatment of hospitalized patients with Covid 19. In countries such as the United States, the Food and Drug Administration issued a revised Emergency Use Authorization EUA to limit the use of CCP to patients with compromised humoral immunity or who are in the early stages of contracting the disease.



What Is Plasma?



Plasma is the liquid portion of blood. Platelets, white blood cells, and red blood cells make up the remaining 55% of our blood. Plasma's primary functions are as follows.

Maintains blood pressure and volume

Proteins are required for immunity and blood clotting.

carries electrolytes like potassium and sodium to our muscles

Maintains proper pH balance in the body for cell function

What Is Plasma Therapy?

Plasma therapy entails taking a blood sample from a person who has recovered from Covid, separating the antibodies from the blood sample, and then combining them with the system of a person affected by Covid. Plasma's primary goal is to provide the immune system with the necessary resources to combat the virus.

What Is Plasma Therapy and How Does It Work?

Before delving into plasma therapy, it's important to understand how Covid-19 attacks the immune system.

When a person contracts the virus, their lymphocyte count decreases, which is the immune system's defensive moat.

If this continues and the viral count rises, destroying the immune system, the lungs will be the first to succumb.

When a foreign pathogen enters the human body, antibodies are produced in response. Antibodies are the proteins that will fight off these infections. These antibodies are found in plasma. Those with a weakened immune system may not be able to produce antibodies and will struggle to resist the virus.

After recovering from Covid, the antibodies will remain in the plasma for some time to prevent a future Covid attack. Antibodies produced by one person can aid another in fighting the virus. As a result, doctors extract Convalescent plasma from a recovered patient and transfuse it to a person with Covid. The plasma is cryopreserved by the clinician so that it can be used later. The fresh frozen plasma can be used for at least one year if kept at -18 degrees Celsius, but it will lose its efficacy after that. In the case of covid-19, doctors observe a positive response to plasma treatment, and when compared to patients who did not receive the treatment, they fare better.

If other options are unavailable, this may be a viable option for patients who are critically ill and unable to fight the disease. However, this is not a one-size-fits-all approach.

Why is Plasma Therapy Used?

Plasma therapy is an alternative treatment for chronic Covid-19 patients. It is effective for patients with diabetes and dysfunction. However, it is ineffective against the recently triple-mutated Covid strain.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, universities, hospitals, and research institutions all over the world have been testing CPT as a possible treatment for Covid patients.

Many research councils have approved clinical trials for CPT. However, many medical organizations are hesitant to declare CPT to be the definitive cure for Covid-19 patients. One of the main reasons for this is that the majority of those who receive plasma treatment are elderly and have pre-existing medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. So the general question is whether CPT would be effective or if it could lead to other complications.

Furthermore, if enough antibodies are not extracted from plasma, the CPT treatment will be ineffective. This means that a significant amount of screening is required to identify recovered patients who have a high level of the required antibodies in their blood.

How Can CPT Be Used Right Now?

CPT can be used in three different situations, according to Health Ministries around the world.

On compassionate grounds, for extremely weak and ill patients. This is something that hospitals all over the world have been doing. This treatment method has even been approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). This is also an approved form of treatment in countries such as India.

For frontline workers who are more likely to contract the virus. CPT has been approved for use by the FDA. This is based on the logic that doctors are susceptible to catching the virus and that it will help boost their confidence while treating patients.

Those who are not critically ill comprise the third group. However, this is subject to approval from the appropriate authorities. Almost 80% of all Covid-19 patients will recover without any assistance, 15% will become very ill and require hospitalization, and 5% will be extremely ill.

Who Can Be A Plasma Donor?

Plasma therapy can still benefit patients. Especially in today's world, where the flaws of healthcare have been exposed. Here's how to become a plasma donor and help save lives.

• You should have recovered from Covid-19 and tested negative.
• Before you give your plasma, you must have been symptom-free for 14 days.
• Your plasma must contain a high level of antibodies.
• You should share a blood group with the patient.

After donating plasma, it will be tested for diseases such as hepatitis B and C, malaria, HIV, and syphilis, as well as blood grouping and antibody screening.

Every donation of plasma could be used to treat two patients, and the bank will collect 500 ml of plasma based on the donor's weight.

Patients can donate 500 mL of plasma every two weeks, but blood can only be donated once every three months. Plasma also has the advantage of being able to be stored in a frozen state while still retaining the necessary antibodies. The antibody levels remain unchanged.

Here are a few things you should do before donating plasma.

• Drink plenty of water
• Inform the doctors about any recent surgeries.
• Inform the doctors if you are taking any medications.

Conclusion

CPT is not a novel or new concept; it has existed for many years. Furthermore, the technology required to extract plasma is relatively simple and not overly complex, and it is performed on a daily basis. Plasma therapy should only be used in research settings until more research is done to prove its effectiveness.