Current best evidence for clinical care (more info)
Evaluating the effect of convalescent plasma (CP) on some cytokine storm indices in severe COVID-19 patients. Totally, 62 patients were randomly assigned into two groups for this clinical trial. Patients in the intervention group received one unit (500 mL) plasma on the admission day plus standard drugs while the controls merely received standard treatments. Eventually, primary and secondary outcomes were evaluated. In the CP group, compared with controls, the mean levels of lymphocytes and IL-10 significantly increased while the levels of IL-6, TNF-a, and IFN-? decreased (p < 0.05). The length of in-hospital stay, and mortality rate did not significantly reduce in the CP group compared with controls (p > 0.05) while WHO severity scores remarkably improved (p = 0.01), despite the higher frequency of underlying diseases among the CP group (66.7%) vs. controls (33.3%). Although CP has a remarkable immunomodulatory and antiviral potential to improve the cytokine storm and disease severity in COVID-19 patients, it did not considerably affect the mortality rate.
| Discipline / Specialty Area | Score |
|---|---|
| Hospital Doctor/Hospitalists | |
| Internal Medicine | |
| Infectious Disease | |
| Intensivist/Critical Care | |
Future studies are needed.
This is a randomized parallel group, single blind, with a fair start. They show similar baseline data with the exception of underlying disease. The bio markers were similar at admission day, except IL6 IFN gamma CP increased the mean level of lymphocytes and decreased level of some cytoquinas. The mean length of in hospital and mortality was similar. The CP has immunomodulatory potential in severe COVID-19 patients with underlying disease, so, it is useful therapy in severe Covid-19 patients.
This is one of the smallest studies on the subject. It would have been useless even if the issue hadn't been resolved.