Association between Rhesus Blood Groups and Malaria Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
In the literature, there was inconsistency in the risk of malaria between individuals with Rhesus blood group positive (Rh+) and negative (Rh−). The systematic review aimed to investigate the risk of malaria among participants with different Rh blood types. All observational studies that reported th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/8/4/190 |
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| author | Yanisa Rattanapan Thitinat Duangchan Kinley Wangdi Aongart Mahittikorn Manas Kotepui |
| author_facet | Yanisa Rattanapan Thitinat Duangchan Kinley Wangdi Aongart Mahittikorn Manas Kotepui |
| author_sort | Yanisa Rattanapan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the literature, there was inconsistency in the risk of malaria between individuals with Rhesus blood group positive (Rh+) and negative (Rh−). The systematic review aimed to investigate the risk of malaria among participants with different Rh blood types. All observational studies that reported the occurrence of <i>Plasmodium</i> infection and investigation of the Rh blood group were searched in five databases (Scopus, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Ovid). Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology was used to assess the reporting quality in the included studies. A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled log OR and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Database searches yielded a total of 879 articles, of which 36 were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review. The majority of the included studies (44.4%) revealed that Rh+ individuals had a lower proportion of malaria than Rh− individuals; however, the remaining studies revealed a higher or no difference in the proportion of malaria between Rh+ and Rh− individuals. Overall, with moderate heterogeneity, the pooled results showed no difference in malaria risk between patients with Rh+ and Rh− (<i>p</i> = 0.85, pooled log OR: 0.02, 95% CI: −0.20–0.25, I<sup>2</sup>: 65.1%, 32 studies). The current study found no link between the Rh blood group and malaria, even though there was a moderate amount of heterogeneity. Further studies using prospective designs and a definitive method for <i>Plasmodium</i> identification are needed to investigate the risk of <i>Plasmodium</i> infection in Rh+ individuals and increase the reliability and quality of these studies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:28:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-52e01f21a74f4f1d96dea58447ab1809 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2414-6366 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:28:00Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease |
| spelling | doaj.art-52e01f21a74f4f1d96dea58447ab18092023-11-17T21:39:21ZengMDPI AGTropical Medicine and Infectious Disease2414-63662023-03-018419010.3390/tropicalmed8040190Association between Rhesus Blood Groups and Malaria Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisYanisa Rattanapan0Thitinat Duangchan1Kinley Wangdi2Aongart Mahittikorn3Manas Kotepui4Medical Technology, School of Allied Health Sciences, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80160, ThailandMedical Technology, School of Allied Health Sciences, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80160, ThailandDepartment of Global Health, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, AustraliaDepartment of Protozoology, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 73170, ThailandMedical Technology, School of Allied Health Sciences, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80160, ThailandIn the literature, there was inconsistency in the risk of malaria between individuals with Rhesus blood group positive (Rh+) and negative (Rh−). The systematic review aimed to investigate the risk of malaria among participants with different Rh blood types. All observational studies that reported the occurrence of <i>Plasmodium</i> infection and investigation of the Rh blood group were searched in five databases (Scopus, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Ovid). Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology was used to assess the reporting quality in the included studies. A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled log OR and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Database searches yielded a total of 879 articles, of which 36 were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review. The majority of the included studies (44.4%) revealed that Rh+ individuals had a lower proportion of malaria than Rh− individuals; however, the remaining studies revealed a higher or no difference in the proportion of malaria between Rh+ and Rh− individuals. Overall, with moderate heterogeneity, the pooled results showed no difference in malaria risk between patients with Rh+ and Rh− (<i>p</i> = 0.85, pooled log OR: 0.02, 95% CI: −0.20–0.25, I<sup>2</sup>: 65.1%, 32 studies). The current study found no link between the Rh blood group and malaria, even though there was a moderate amount of heterogeneity. Further studies using prospective designs and a definitive method for <i>Plasmodium</i> identification are needed to investigate the risk of <i>Plasmodium</i> infection in Rh+ individuals and increase the reliability and quality of these studies.https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/8/4/190malariaRhesusblood group<i>Plasmodium</i>Rhmeta-analysis |
| spellingShingle | Yanisa Rattanapan Thitinat Duangchan Kinley Wangdi Aongart Mahittikorn Manas Kotepui Association between Rhesus Blood Groups and Malaria Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease malaria Rhesus blood group <i>Plasmodium</i> Rh meta-analysis |
| title | Association between Rhesus Blood Groups and Malaria Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
| title_full | Association between Rhesus Blood Groups and Malaria Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
| title_fullStr | Association between Rhesus Blood Groups and Malaria Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Association between Rhesus Blood Groups and Malaria Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
| title_short | Association between Rhesus Blood Groups and Malaria Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
| title_sort | association between rhesus blood groups and malaria infection a systematic review and meta analysis |
| topic | malaria Rhesus blood group <i>Plasmodium</i> Rh meta-analysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/8/4/190 |
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