Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-COV-2 has become a major public health challenge. Given the historical experience in dealing with similar viruses earlier, due to the lack of specific treatment against SARS-CoV-2 at the early stage of the pandemic, the use of plasma of COVID-19 convalescent donors (convalescent plasma — CP) was suggested as a treatment option. By mid-2022, a large number of results of clinical trials of etiotropic and pathogenetic treatment options have been published, which have led to change and optimization of previously proposed COVID-19 treatment regimens. However, there is still no consensus on the use of CP.
This paper summarizes the experience of evaluating the efficacy and safety of the use of CP for the treatment of COVID-19 in various countries. The results obtained were mixed. In a number of studies, the effectiveness of this method has not been proven, but, at the same time, the following patterns have been identified in other sources:
1)?early administration of CP soon after the onset of symptoms reduced the severity of disease progression and the incidence of deaths;
2)?plasma with a high level of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 significantly reduced mortality compared to CP with a low level of antibodies;
3)?the use of CP had an effect on reducing the severity of symptoms such as shortness of breath and general weakness, and also reduced the time of elimination of the virus;
4)?transfusion of CP was effective for some groups of patients, for example, for the elderly and for those with immunosuppression, as well as when administered within the first 72 hours from the onset of the first symptoms;
5)?CP is an inexpensive and simple method of treatment. In some countries, it may have an advantage over expensive medications, or if they are not available;
6)?no significant adverse events associated with CP transfusion were found in clinical studies, which proves its safety when used.