Effects and Safety of Convalescent Plasma Administration in a Group of Polish Pediatric Patients with COVID-19: A Case Series
Open Access
- 17 March 2021
- Vol. 11 (3), 247
- https://doi.org/10.3390/life11030247
Abstract
Despite the enormous advances in knowledge about the SARS-CoV-2 infection, the optimal treatment for COVID-19 is still not well defined. The use of convalescent plasma seems to be a promising method of treatment but requires further evaluation. Although it is usually mild, in children with underlying chronic diseases, the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection may be very severe. We described a series of 13 pediatric patients (mean age 10.4 years, median 12) treated with convalescent plasma as a method of COVID-19 therapy. Medical history, with particular emphasis on comorbidities, clinical course, laboratory parameters, supportive treatment and virus elimination time, were analyzed. The mean hospitalization time was 22.6 days (median 20). The most common abnormalities included increased levels of C-reactive protein, D-dimer, and lymphopenia. Median time from symptom onset to convalescent plasma transfusion was 10.6 days (median 7 days). Six patients (46.2%) had a viral clearance on RT-PCR method from a nasopharyngeal swab within 3 days of transfusion, while in the remaining patients the mean elimination time was 12.1 days (median 6 days). Clinical improvement was achieved in all patients; no adverse effects were found in any of the cases. Convalescent plasma may be a promising treatment for COVID-19 in children.Keywords
This publication has 51 references indexed in Scilit:
- Lung Ultrasound in Children With COVID-19PEDIATRICS, 2020
- Convalescent plasma transfusion for the treatment of COVID‐19: Systematic reviewJournal of Medical Virology, 2020
- COVID‐19 epidemic: Disease characteristics in childrenJournal of Medical Virology, 2020
- Systematic review of COVID‐19 in children shows milder cases and a better prognosis than adultsActa Paediatrica, 2020
- Cross-reactive antibody response between SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV infectionsPublished by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory ,2020
- Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, ChinaThe Lancet, 2020
- Evaluation of Convalescent Plasma for Ebola Virus Disease in GuineaThe New England Journal of Medicine, 2016
- Meta-Analysis: Convalescent Blood Products for Spanish Influenza Pneumonia: A Future H5N1 Treatment?Annals of Internal Medicine, 2006
- Retrospective comparison of convalescent plasma with continuing high-dose methylprednisolone treatment in SARS patientsClinical Microbiology & Infection, 2004