Plasma Therapy for COVID-19

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. It was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei, China, and has resulted in an ongoing pandemic. As of 9 September 2020, more than 27.6 million cases have been reported across 188 countries and territories with more than 898,000 deaths; more than 18.5 million people have recovered. The virus is spread primarily through small droplets from coughing, sneezing, and talking. The droplets are usually not airborne, however, those standing nearby may inhale them and become infected. People may also become infected by touching a contaminated surface and then touching their face.

There are no proven vaccines or specific treatments for COVID-19 until now. Management of COVID-19 includes supportive care, which may include fluid therapy, oxygen support, and supporting other affected vital organs. Among these only fluid therapy is something which you can include in treatment at some level.

 

 

WHAT IS THIS FLUID (PLASMA) THERAPY :

Plasma is the liquid portion of blood that remains when all red, white blood cells and platelets have been removed. It was over a hundred years ago that Emil Behring was awarded the first Nobel prize for physiology and medicine for his work showing that plasma could be used to treat diphtheria.

 

How It Works :

As we know that the key component of plasma for treating infections is antibodies. Antibodies are Y-shaped proteins that are highly specific for whichever infection a person has previously encountered. They are produced in large quantities by B cells of our immune system to destroy the virus that entered the body. But, as COVID-19 is a new virus that's why not everyone's immune system can form antibodies. In contrast, using convalescent plasma involves the transfer of antibodies from donors who have already built an immune response, thus offering immediate protection to the patient.

 

The first COVID-19 patient in India, treated with plasma therapy at Max Hospital, Delhi in late April. The patient's condition was very critical (lying on a ventilator) then doctors go for plasma therapy and within the next 2-3 days, his medical condition got normal. After 14 days of observation, as the duration set by the government of India, he went home. Plasma therapy is not a proper treatment. But in many cases, it is saving lives. Till the time, any nation not able to produce the vaccine, the only hope is plasma therapy.

 

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