Plasmapheresis and MS

Plasmapheresis is a process involving the following steps:

• Whole blood is withdrawn from the person.
• The liquid portion or plasma is removed from the blood and replaced.
• The blood, with all its red and white blood cells, is transfused back into the person.

This process is a successful method for treating autoimmune diseases such as myasthenia gravis and Guillain-Barré syndrome, because it removes the circulating antibodies that are thought to be responsible for these diseases.

It is not clear whether plasmapheresis is of benefit in the short- or long-term treatment of MS, and its use in MS remains controversial.

Because MS may also involve an autoimmune process—where the body is attacked by its own immune system—and because demyelinating factors have been found in plasma from MS patients, plasmapheresis has been tried as a treatment for MS.

Mixed Results in Progressive Forms of MS

continue reading this from the source, the National MS Society

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