Citizen Matters

Promise of Plasma treatment for COVID-19

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A key method being used to treat COVID-19, plasma therapy has shown significant promise with patient recoveries.

Plasma therapy is a treatment method that is an experimental therapy and uses the plasma donated by a patient who has recovered from COVID-19 as their blood stream has protective antibodies. Usually used in patients who are not responding to conventional therapy, the treatment has helped many serious COVID-19 patients recover.

Plasma donation centers in Bengaluru

When one recovers with any infection, especially viral infections, the recovery depends on the production of antibodies to the antigen (virus – in the current case the COVID virus). These antibodies circulate in the recovered person’s body for a few weeks to live long. While at the same time, those who struggle to recover from the viral infection, maybe failing for want of development of antibodies. If the patient who is failing to recover, is administered antibodies from a convalescing patient (rich in antibodies), the ailing patient might be able to mount an immunological war against the virus and thus recover from the infection. Administration of plasma from a recovered individual to an ailing patient to boost the levels of antibodies is called plasma therapy, also called ‘convalescent plasma therapy’.

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