Randomized controlled clinical trials have evaluated the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) and found high-titer CCP reduced the risk of hospitalization if used early in the course of disease. However, little is known about the long-term effect of CCP. Fifty hospitalized patients (74% male; median age 58.5 years) with severe COVID-19 in the CASPID randomized clinical trial were followed for a median time of 396 days; 16 received high-titer CCP, 14 received low-titer CCP, and 20 received standard care. In addition, 113 CCP donors (52% male; median age 42.0 years) were followed for a median of 519 days. The one-year survival of patients in the high-titer CCP study arm (n=16) was 91.5%, which was significantly higher than patients in the low-titer arm (n=14; 67.4% survival) and the control arm (n=20; 60.2% survival). Furthermore, patients treated with the high-titer CCP had a significantly shorter stay in the ICU and hospital compared to patients in the low-titer and control groups. The study also found that hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 had a lower quality of life compared to CCP donors. Larger studies are needed to confirm this observation and the long-term benefits of CCP.
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