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Meta-Analysis
. 2022 Apr 29;19(9):5444.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19095444.

Malaria and Helminthic Co-Infection during Pregnancy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Minyahil Tadesse Boltena  1 , Ziad El-Khatib  2   3 , Abraham Sahilemichael Kebede  4 , Benedict Oppong Asamoah  5 , Appiah Seth Christopher Yaw  6 , Kassim Kamara  7 , Phénix Constant Assogba  8 , Andualem Tadesse Boltena  5 , Hawult Taye Adane  1 , Elifaged Hailemeskel  1   9 , Mulatu Biru  1   10
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Malaria and Helminthic Co-Infection during Pregnancy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Minyahil Tadesse Boltena et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Malaria and helminthic co-infection during pregnancy causes fetomaternal haemorrhage and foetal growth retardation. This study determined the pooled burden of pregnancy malaria and helminthic co-infection in sub-Saharan Africa. CINAHL, EMBASE, Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were used to retrieve data from the literature, without restricting language and publication year. The Joanna Briggs Institute's critical appraisal tool for prevalence studies was used for quality assessment. STATA Version 14.0 was used to conduct the meta-analysis. The I2 statistics and Egger's test were used to test heterogeneity and publication bias. The random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence at a 95% confidence interval (CI). The review protocol has been registered in PROSPERO, with the number CRD42019144812. In total, 24 studies (n = 14,087 participants) were identified in this study. The pooled analysis revealed that 20% of pregnant women were co-infected by malaria and helminths in sub-Saharan Africa. The pooled prevalence of malaria and helminths were 33% and 35%, respectively. The most prevalent helminths were Hookworm (48%), Ascaris lumbricoides (37%), and Trichuris trichiura (15%). Significantly higher malaria and helminthic co-infection during pregnancy were observed. Health systems in sub-Saharan Africa must implement home-grown innovative solutions to underpin context-specific policies for the early initiation of effective intermittent preventive therapy.

Keywords: co-infection; comorbidity; helminthic infections; pregnancy malaria; sub-Saharan Africa.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of the included studies. Moher, D. et al. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. PLoS Medicine, 2009, 6(7).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Funnel plot with pseudo 95% confidence limit of individual study estimates attributed with prevalence of malaria and helminthic co-infection among pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot for the overall and country—specific pooled prevalence of malaria among pregnant women in sub—Saharan Africa.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot for the overall and country-specific pooled prevalence of helminthic infection among pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The proportion of Hookworm estimated from the overall helminthic infection among pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The proportion of Ascaris lumbricoides estimated from the overall helminthic infection among pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The proportion of Trichuris trichiura estimated from the overall helminthic infection among pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa.
Figure 8
Figure 8
The overall pooled estimate and country-specific prevalence of malaria and helminthic co-infection among pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa.
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