Long COVIDpatients are turning to stock - washing as an incursive “ treatment ” for their experimental condition , say a fresh study , despite there being little in the way of evidence that it could be an effective therapy . A raw report from theBMJ and ITVsays that masses in the UK are jaunt abroad for the invasive intervention , some of whom are trip across the idea in assembly and on societal media platforms .

Blood washing , orapheresis , is the process in which a someone ’s descent is bump off through a needle in one subdivision , passed through a filter , and then come back to the soundbox through the other arm . It ’s sometimes used for people with blood and lipide disorder , but there ’s not yet any concrete grounds that it can benefit affected role withlong COVID .

Despite this , clinics in countries such as Cyprus , Germany , and Switzerland are offering blood wash to longsighted COVID patients who are experiencing prolonged symptom following contagion with the SARS - CoV-2 virus , the pathogen which causes COVID-19 .

A blood lavation pillowcase survey let in in the news report details the experience of Gitte Boumeester , a trainee head-shrinker from the Netherlands , who quit her line of work due to the severity of her long COVID symptoms . After learn about blood washing on a Facebook forum , Bourmeester travel to The tenacious COVID Clinic in Cyprus for discussion .

Her throwaway came to over € 50,000 ( $ 50,212 ) and include six aphaeresis sessions and nine circle of hyperbaric oxygen therapy , but Bourmeester devolve home with no improvement to her symptom .

A second eccentric written report detailed the taradiddle of Chris Witham , a 45 - yr - erstwhile businessman from the UK who move around to Germany for blood washing discourse that summate around £ 7,000 ( $ 8,300 ) . “ I ’d have sell my firm and given it forth to get better , without a second thought , ” he aver in astatement .

Blood washing as a therapy for long COVID could be linked to the suggestion of some research thatmicroclotsin the plasma associate with the condition could be what ’s causing the on-going symptoms . However , whether these microclots are a gun trigger of the symptom or only a biomarker of illness is n’t known .

“ If we do n’t hump the mechanisms by which the microclots mold and whether or not they are causative of disease , it seems previous to contrive a treatment to take the microclots away , as both aphaeresis and triple anticoagulation are not without risks , the obvious one being hemorrhage , ” said Robert Ariens , prof of vascular biology at the University of Leeds School of Medicine .

The report , while concerning , highlight the proceed need of affected role regard by long COVID , which the World Health Organization has gauge affect between10 and 20 percentof affected role . symptom can include fatigue , heftiness helplessness , breathing , rest andmemory problems , anxiety or depression , pectus pain in the neck , and passing of flavor or taste sensation , but as of yet , there is no definitivetreatmentfor the stipulation .

other investigations have pinpointed certainantihistaminesas a promising avenue for further enquiry , and the need for such investigation is arguably of paramount grandness to prevent further recollective COVID patients from test to access expensive , invasive , and seemingly uneffective therapies for their symptoms .

“ It ’s unsurprising that masses who were previously highly functioning , who are now debilitated , ca n’t work , ca n’t financially support themselves , would seek treatment elsewhere , ” said Shamil Haroon , clinical reader in primary care at the University of Birmingham and a investigator on the Therapies for foresighted COVID in Non - hospitalised patients trial , in astatement .

“ It ’s a all intellectual response to a situation like this . But multitude could potentially go belly-up accessing these treatments , for which there is restrain to no evidence of effectiveness . ”