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Plasma Therapy and Covid-19
Why is it in News?
- A preliminary analysis of an ongoing study of 300+ Covid-19 patients suggests that convalescent plasma therapy is effective.
- The preliminary analysis are published in The American Journal of Pathology.
Convalescent Plasma Therapy:
- The approach has been used earlier in medical history, with diseases such as the Ebola virus, diphtheria, scarlet fever, pertussis, Spanish flu, measles, MERS-COV, H1N1.
- The treatment involves taking plasma of patients who have recovered from COVID-19 as they carry antibodies against the viruses in their plasma.
- Plasma can be used in newly infected patients who do not have antibodies to fight the illness.
- Associated risks:
(1) If the plasma has a virus that goes undetected during COVID testing, we introduce more viruses into the patient. But the risk is low as the patient who has recovered will carry antibodies in the blood.
(2) There may be risk of an allergic reaction as plasma is being injected from another body, which can trigger allergic reactions along with lung damage, such as acute lung injury.
(3) The risk of transmission of infections including HIV, Hepatitis B and C, is also present, but all known viruses are tested before transfusing the plasma.