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Meta-Analysis
. 2023 Mar 1;42(3):232-239.
doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000003791. Epub 2022 Dec 1.

Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection by Age: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Bing Wang  1   2 , Prabha Andraweera  1   2 , Salenna Elliott  1   2 , Hassen Mohammed  1   2 , Zohra Lassi  1   2 , Ashley Twigger  3 , Chloe Borgas  3 , Shehani Gunasekera  3 , Shamez Ladhani  4 , Helen Siobhan Marshall  1   2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection by Age: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Bing Wang et al. Pediatr Infect Dis J. .

Abstract

Background: Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections have raised concerns for public health policies to manage epidemics. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the age-specific proportion of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infected persons globally by year of age.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, medRxiv and Google Scholar on September 10, 2020, and March 1, 2021. We included studies conducted during January to December 2020, before routine vaccination against COVID-19. Because we expected the relationship between the asymptomatic proportion and age to be nonlinear, multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression (QR decomposition) with a restricted cubic spline was used to model asymptomatic proportions as a function of age.

Results: A total of 38 studies were included in the meta-analysis. In total, 6556 of 14,850 cases were reported as asymptomatic. The overall estimate of the proportion of people who became infected with SARS-CoV-2 and remained asymptomatic throughout infection was 44.1% (6556/14,850, 95% CI: 43.3%-45.0%). The predicted asymptomatic proportion peaked in children (36.2%, 95% CI: 26.0%-46.5%) at 13.5 years, gradually decreased by age and was lowest at 90.5 years of age (8.1%, 95% CI: 3.4%-12.7%).

Conclusions: Given the high rates of asymptomatic carriage in adolescents and young adults and their active role in virus transmission in the community, heightened vigilance and public health strategies are needed among these individuals to prevent disease transmission.

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Conflict of interest statement

H.S.M. is an investigator on vaccine trials sponsored by the GSK group of companies, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Sanofi, and Merck. H.S.M.’s, B.W.’s, P.A.’s, and H.M.’s institution receives funding for investigator-led studies from industry, including Pfizer and Sanofi Pasteur; H.S.M., B.W., P.A., and H.M. receive no personal payments from industry. Others have no potential conflicts of interest. The authors did not receive funding for this project.

Figures

FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) flow diagram for article inclusion and exclusion.
FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 2.
Predicted proportion of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection by age*. *The size of each circle is proportional to the total number of SARS-CoV-2 positive persons reported in each age group in individual studies, with larger circles indicating a larger sample size.
FIGURE 3.
FIGURE 3.
Predicted proportion of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection by age after removing 3 studies with a very low or high proportion of asymptomatic infection*. *The size of each circle is proportional to the total number of SARS-CoV-2 positive persons reported in each age group in individual studies, with larger circles indicating a larger sample size.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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