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Table 3 Relationship between acute malnutrition (wasting) and risk of malarial infection (N = 18)

From: Complex interactions between malaria and malnutrition: a systematic literature review

Author, Year, Reference

WHZ cutoff

Malaria outcome

Risk estimate comparing children below and above WHZ cutoff

Risk

Ayana 2015 [49]

< − 2

Malaria by RDT

“Non-significant association” reported

No impact

Bilal Shikur 2016 [28]

< − 2

Malaria by RDT or blood film

AOR = 0.66 (95% CI = 0.21–2.03)

No impact

< − 3

Malaria by RDT or blood film

AOR = 2.90 (95% CI = 1.14–7.61), P = 0.025

Increased

Custodio 2009 [30]

< − 2

Pf malaria parasitemia prevalence

“Non-significant association” reported

No impact

Deen 2002 [10]

< − 2

Malaria episode (fever ≥ 37.5 °C or parasitemia > 5000/μL)

RR = 0.87 (95% CI = 0.69–1.10)

No impact

Deribew 2010 [51]

< − 2

Pf malaria (any parasitemia)

AOR = 0.6 (95% CI = 0.2–1.3), P = 0.18

No impact

Ehrhardt 2006 [11]

< − 2

Fever

OR = 1.74 (95% CI = 1.16–2.60), P = 0.004

.

< − 2

Clinical malaria (fever ≥ 37.5 °C plus any parasitemia)

OR = 1.86 (95% CI = 1.14–3.02), P = 0.007

Increased

Fillol 2009 [27]

< − 2

Clinical malaria (fever ≥ 37.5 °C plus parasitemia ≥ 3000/μL)

OR = 0.33 (95% CI = 0.13–0.81), P = 0.02

Decreased

< − 2

High-density parasitemia (geometric mean ≥ 300/μL)

AOR = 0.48 (95% CI = 0.04–5.34), P = 0.55

No impact

Friedman 2005 [26]

< − 2

Concurrent malaria (any parasitemia)

AOR = 0.75, P = 0.18

No impact

< − 2

High-density parasitemia (any species, > 1500–7000/μL)

AOR = 0.96, P = 0.88

No impact

< − 2

Clinical malaria (fever plus high-density parasitemia)

AOR = 1.11, P = 0.86

No impact

< − 2

Severe anaemia (Haemoglobin < 7 g/dL)

AOR = 2.00, P = 0.04*

.

Genton 1998 [14]

< − 2

Pf malaria (fever plus any parasitemia)

Adj. rate ratio = 0.92 (95% CI = 0.77–1.11), P = 0.4

No impact

< − 2

Pf malaria (fever plus parasitemia ≥ 5 × 109/L)

Adj. rate ratio = 0.96 (95% CI = 0.77–1.19), P = 0.69

No impact

< − 2

Pf malaria (fever plus parasitemia ≥ 10 × 109/L)

Adj. rate ratio = 0.97 (95% CI = 0.75–1.24), P = 0.78

No impact

Kateera 2015 [54]

< − 2

Pf malaria (any parasitemia)

“Non-significant association” reported

No impact

Mitangala 2013 [21]

< − 2

Pf malaria parasitemia (≥ 5000/μL)

AOR = 0.34 (95% CI = 0.08–1.45), P = 0.15

No impact

Muller 2003 [18]

< − 2

Pf malaria (fever plus parasitemia ≥ 1/μL)

RR = 1.0 (95% CI = 0.9–1.2), P = 0.99

No impact

< − 2

Pf malaria (fever plus parasitemia ≥ 5000/μL)

RR = 1.0 (95% CI = 0.9–1.2), P = 0.58

No impact

< − 2

Pf malaria (fever plus parasitemia ≥ 100,000/μL)

RR = 1.0 (95% CI = 0.5–1.8), P = 0.94

No impact

Snow 1991 [17]

< − 2

Clinical malaria (fever plus any parasitemia)

“Non-significant association” reported

No impact

< − 2

Asymptomatic malaria parasitemia

“Non-significant association” reported

No impact

Sumbele 2015 [57]

< − 2

Clinical malaria parasitemia

Wasted vs. Non-wasted: 6.5% vs. 9.7%, P = 0.78

No impact

< − 2

Asymptomatic malaria parasitemia

Wasted vs. Non-wasted: 22.6% vs. 26.7%, P = 0.77

No impact

Takakura 2001 [29]

< − 2

Pf malaria

Wasted vs. Non-wasted: 17% vs. 4%, P < 0.05

Increased

< − 2

P. vivax malaria

“Non-significant association” reported

No impact

Uscategui Penuela 2009 [58]

< − 2

Malaria infection

OR = 2.64 (95% CI = 0.30–23.02), P = 0.38

No impact

Verhoef 2002 [13]

< − 2

Laboratory confirmed malaria

OR = 0.78 (95% CI = 0.58–1.05), P = 0.1

No impact

William 1997 [31]

< − 2

Clinical malaria (fever plus para ≥ 1000/μL)

“Non-significant association” reported

No impact

< − 2

P. vivax malaria

“Non-significant association” reported

No impact

  1. Pf Plasmodium falciparum, WHZ weight-for-height Z-scores, CI confidence interval, OR odds ratio, HR hazard ratio, RR risk ratio, IRR incidence rate ratio, AOR adjusted odds ratio
  2. *Limited to anaemia