Early convalescent plasma treatment may lower long COVID risk, study finds

The latest study looked at the long-term outcomes of a large portion of the participants from the 2021 clinical trial. For the latest study, the researchers used the cytokine and chemokine measurements, along with reports by patients of any post-COVID conditions at the 90-day examination, to determine if there was any association between early convalescent plasma therapy and long COVID symptoms. At 90 days after receiving either convalescent or control plasma, 590 (66.9%) of the study participants showed no post-COVID conditions, while 292 (33.1%) did. Additionally, study participants who had higher-than-normal levels of one particular cytokine, interleukin-6 (IL6), at screening were more likely to be among those with post-COVID symptoms by day 90. "While cytokine levels decreased throughout the study population from infection to day 90, they dropped more significantly in those who received convalescent plasma early in the course of their illness.