“Blood washing”, this dangerous experimental treatment against COVID long

Difficulties in breathing, memory loss, cognitive disorders, fatigue… The “Covid-long” manifests itself in many ways. To date, researchers are struggling to find an effective treatment. This is why thousands of people are ready to travel to the end of the world in order to have recourse to “blood washing”, as indicated by a survey published by the British Medical Journal this Tuesday, July 12. (source 1)

Also known as apheresis, this method involves take a person’s blood to filter it, clean it of certain components and reinject it into another vein. It is supported by anticoagulant drugs. While some doctors believe that apheresis could be an effective solution against long Covid, others are concerned that so many patients are spending astronomical sums for invasive and unproven treatments.

According to the survey, the cost would revolve around the €15,000. This care is provided by private clinics in European countries such as Germany, Cyprus and Switzerland.

Therapeutic apheresis is generally used in cases where it is necessary to remove specific components from the blood, such as for the treatment of blood cancers or plasma donation. In Germany, the Nephrology Society has recognized it as a last resort for certain lipid disorders.

According to the words of a few researchers convinced by apheresis, Covid-long could be caused by small clots in the blood which hinder the circulation of oxygen, leading to extreme fatigue and muscle pain. Thus, “washing” the blood of unnecessary components would improve blood circulation and relieve the patient.

No clinical trial has been carried out to verify the effectiveness of apheresis in the treatment of Covid-long. Patients returned home without noticing any improvement in their state of health. However, the risks of this procedure are proven: it can lead to nosebleeds, bruises, even to cerebral hemorrhages. In order to avoid any complications, it is essential to be monitored over the long term by health professionals. However, given that the care is often carried out in a foreign country, this type of follow-up is impossible.

For now, it is estimated thata quarter of the people who have been infected with the coronavirus present symptoms that persist for more than a month and that’at least one in ten people are still sick after 12 weeks. According to the Ministry of Solidarity and Health, the risk of triggering a Covid-long decreases as the epidemic progresses (source 2).