“Plasma can treat many diseases”

Lors de la remise de diplômes aux plus grands donneurs de Béziers. Photo Eric Boyer

La Maison du don de Béziers vient de participer à une soirée de sensibilisation au don de plasma. Le docteur Chantal Couderc explique les usages de ce précieux liquide.

Thursday, March 28 at the CGR in Villeneuve-lès-Béziers, the French Blood Establishment organized an evening dedicated to plasma donation, in order to raise awareness of this need, which is more unknown than blood donation. The meeting was structured around the screening of the documentary film Immunity by director Sara Grimaldi. This medium-length film was filmed in conjunction with the IRIS association, which supports patients suffering from Primary Immune Deficiencies (PID). These people depend on plasma-derived immunoglobulin injections to survive.
"The story of this film is linked to my husband, who suffers from an immune deficiency", testifies Sara Grimaldi. "He had started a photographic project on adult patients affected by the same pathology. The people he met told him a lot of things, which is why he offered to film their story. The film is built around a sporting challenge that my partner completed in 2019. We see the preparation for this challenge interspersed with the interventions of other patients. It's about showing that you can be sick and accomplish great things". This film is only visible during meetings to accompany debates. This evening's event was hosted by doctors Chantal Couderc, head of the Béziers donation center, and Alexandre Fakhreddine, head of Languedoc samples.

"We are not self-sufficient"

"Plasma can treat many diseases", explains the latter."If used in its entirety, it can treat hemorrhages, severe burns, coagulation disorders or certain immune diseases. Otherwise, there are drugs derived from plasma proteins, which can be divided into three large families: albumins, coagulation factors, and the most interesting, immunoglobulins which the public knows under the name of ;rsquo;antibodies. These make it possible to deal with two main types of illness, immune deficiencies and autoimmune diseases".
The plasma issue raises geopolitical issues. Indeed, almost all of the precious liquid used in the world today comes from the American sector. "We are not self-sufficient. Covid taught us that we had every interest in reducing dependence on foreign countries, to have greater freedom of action". Plasma donation is done in the Donation Centers, one of which is present in Béziers. The sample lasts approximately 45 minutes and can be repeated after fifteen days, as the plasma regenerates fairly quickly. The evening at the CGR concluded with a diploma presentation to the biggest donors in Béziers, some having made more than 200 contributions.