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What is Plasmapheresis?

Plasmapheresis or plasma exchange, is a procedure which involves the removal, treatment, and return of blood to the body to remove antibodies, thereby preventing them from attacking their targets. This blood purification procedure is used to treat several autoimmune diseases.

Reported Purpose & Efficacy

Reasons and Efficacy
Purpose # of patients
# of patients with evaluations Efficacy
Major
Moderate
Slight
None
Can’t tell
Neuromyelitis Optica 21 6 Efficacy_major Efficacy_slight Efficacy_cant_tell
MS (Multiple Sclerosis) 16 5 Efficacy_major Efficacy_moderate
Myasthenia Gravis 8 0
Relapse MS (exacerbation) 4 1 Efficacy_moderate
rescue from being paralized 3 0
Developed Antibodies 3 1 Efficacy_major

See all 23 patients currently having Plasmapheresis

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Reported Side Effects

Side effects as an overall problem

Severe
 0
Moderate
 5
Mild
 7
None
 5

Commonly reported side effects, conditions, and hospitalizations associated with Plasmapheresis

Fatigue 4
Dizziness 3
Blood pressure decreased 2
Blood Clot 1
Complete exhaustion 1
Tired for a few hours after treatment 1
See all 8 reported side effects ▼ See top 6 reported side effects ▲

Reported Adherence, Burden & Cost See details from patient evaluations ▼

Adherence

Taking treatment as prescribed

Adherence of Plasmapheresis

Always
 13 76%
Usually
 2 12%
Sometimes
 1 6%
Never
 1 6%

Burden

Difficulty being on treatment

Burden of Plasmapheresis

Very
 2 12%
Somewhat
 4 24%
A little
 9 53%
Not at all
 2 12%

Cost

Paid out of pocket

Cost of Plasmapheresis

$200+
 1 11%
$100-199
 0 0%
$50-99
 0 0%
$25-49
 0 0%
< $25
 7 78%

Report created on February 11, 2012.