Convalescent Plasma and Dexamethasone: A Review of Effectiveness in Treating Critical COVID-19 Cases

Rout, P.

Covid-19 is characterised by exaggerated immune response in patients who develop severe disease. 'SARS-CoV-2' differs in from 'SARS-CoV-1' and 'MERS', showing high viral loads with some infiltrates in the lung fields at time of death. Convalescent plasma, antibody-rich (specifically IgG antibodies) are the blood sample or products which are collected from eligible donors like with active antibodies or who are the asymptomatic carriers or who have recovered from COVID-19). After the assessment of the donor, 200-600 mL plasma can be collected with apheresis devices. The process involves first clotting and then secondly centrifuging the blood sample from people who just got recovered from the disease so as to separate out the plasma containing serum antibodies it contained, then giving those antibodies to patients in critical emergency. These antibodies are injected into a sick's or covid-19 positive patient's body. The antibody then creates passive immunisation in the sick person. Corticosteroids like dexamethasone have broad effects on humoral and cell-mediated response and affect both innate and adaptive immunity. Adaptive immunity here plays an important role in to covid-19 immunoassays and immunopathology as severity of respiratory illness that is acute respiratory distress syndrome is associated temporally with the cell-mediated immunity and appearance of a specific antibody against SARS-CoV-2. Trials of Convalescent plasma and dexamethasone were conducted for treatment of critically ill COVID-19 patients. This article compiled the related information collected from various sources like 'MEDLINE', 'Web of science' 'Embase, Cochrane, COVID-19 Study Registers.