A Retrospective Study on the Effects of Convalescent Plasma Therapy in 24 Patients Diagnosed with COVID-19 Pneumonia in February and March 2020 at 2 Centers in Wuhan, China

Abstract

Background This retrospective study aimed to describe the effects of convalescent plasma therapy in 24 patients diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection during February and March 2020 in Wuhan, China. Materia/Methods The confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 infection was made by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data and laboratory test reports of patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia who received a convalescent plasma transfusion. Results A total of 24 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who were transfused with ABO-compatible convalescent plasma were enrolled in the study. Convalescent plasma transfusion showed an effective clinical outcome in 14 of 24 patients (an effective rate of 58.3%). No patients had an adverse reaction to the transfusion. Compared with before convalescent plasma transfusion, the lymphocyte count after convalescent plasma transfusion increased to a normal level (median: 0.80×10 9 /L vs. 1.12×10 9 /L, P =0.004). Other laboratory indicators such as white blood cells, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate transaminase showed a decreasing trend after transfusion. Conclusions This retrospective observational clinical study showed that convalescent plasma therapy could have beneficial effects on patient outcomes. Recently, regulatory authorization has been given for the use of convalescent plasma therapy, and clinical guidelines have been developed for the collection and use of convalescent plasma and hyperimmune immunoglobulin in patients with COVID-19.

COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Is More than Neutralizing Antibodies: A Narrative Review of Potential Beneficial and Detrimental Co-Factors

“…Similarly, in a prospective cohort study conducted by Salazar and colleagues in 25 patients with severe or life-threatening COVID-19 [ 17 ], a marked reduction of CRP was observed at days 7 and 14 post-CCP transfusions. These results were replicated in other clinical trials [ 18 , 19 , 20 ]. Other studies compared the cytokine profile of CCP with that in plasma from healthy blood donors and found higher levels of IL-10, a potent anti-inflammatory cytokine, and IL-21, which is involved in plasma cell generation and antiviral immune responses [ 21 ].…”

SARS-CoV-2 and Plasma Hypercoagulability

“…Though large-scale studies have concluded that COVID-19 CP is generally safe for patient use, 40 proof of its effectiveness in improving outcomes has been equivocal. 39 , 49 , 70 , 80 With the rising use of antiviral drugs such as Remdesivir, the use of CP has fallen out of favor for management of COVID-19, but it is still of use in the study of potential long-term vascular complications of SARS-CoV-2.…”

COVID-19: The Disease, the Immunological Challenges, the Treatment with Pharmaceuticals and Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation

“…Furthermore, in early studies, convalescent plasma transfusion showed an effective clinical outcome for patients with severe and critical symptoms. Whereas the preliminary data were promising, a retrospective study calculated that the effective rate was below 60% [ 134 , 135 ]. In a survey of 16,287 UK hospitalized patients, the convalescent plasma treatment made no significant improvement in the survival of patients who received the treatment compared to those who did not [ 136 ].…”