Association between ovalocytosis and Plasmodium infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Issued Date
2023-12-01
Resource Type
eISSN
20452322
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85158026628
Journal Title
Scientific Reports
Volume
13
Issue
1
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Scientific Reports Vol.13 No.1 (2023)
Suggested Citation
Kotepui K.U., Mahittikorn A., Masangkay F.R., Kotepui M. Association between ovalocytosis and Plasmodium infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scientific Reports Vol.13 No.1 (2023). doi:10.1038/s41598-023-34170-3 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/81566
Title
Association between ovalocytosis and Plasmodium infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Reports of an association between ovalocytosis and protection against Plasmodium infection are inconsistent. Therefore, we aimed to synthesise the overall evidence of the association between ovalocytosis and malaria infection using a meta-analysis approach. The systematic review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023393778). A systematic literature search of the MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, PubMed, Ovid, and ProQuest databases, from inception to 30 December 2022, was performed to retrieve studies documenting the association between ovalocytosis and Plasmodium infection. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Data synthesis included a narrative synthesis and a meta-analysis to calculate the pooled effect estimate (log odds ratios [ORs]) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using the random-effects model. Our database search retrieved 905 articles, 16 of which were included for data synthesis. Qualitative synthesis revealed that over half of the studies showed no association between ovalocytosis and malaria infections or severity. Furthermore, our meta-analysis demonstrated no association between ovalocytosis and Plasmodium infection (P = 0.81, log OR = 0.06, 95% CI − 0.44 to 0.19, I2: 86.20%; 11 studies). In conclusion, the meta-analysis results demonstrated no association between ovalocytosis and Plasmodium infection. Hence, the role of ovalocytosis in relation to protection against Plasmodium infection or disease severity should be further investigated in larger prospective studies.