Prevalence of malaria relapse: systematic review with meta-analysis.
Talita Lima do Nascimento, Suleima Pedroza Vasconcelos, Yara Peres and 3 others
PMID 30916225WHAT IT FOUND
The pooled relapse prevalence estimate was 0.47 (a proportion), and study rates ranged from 17% to 92.85%.
The studies differed so much that this single figure should be read cautiously, not as a local rate.
Key findings
01Five studies were included, with a total sample of 1,308 people, and most cases were Plasmodium vivax.
02The pooled prevalence of relapse was 0.47, and study rates ranged from 17% to 92.85%.
03The meta-analysis reported I2 of 99.04%, p <0.001, and high differences between studies.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only five studies were included, with 1,308 people total. The studies differed widely in design and relapse rates, with I2 of 99.04%, so the pooled estimate may not apply consistently. Included studies had weaknesses in reporting measures to reduce bias. Two studies were excluded for missing key design elements or using secondary surveillance data. Gray literature was not searched, so unpublished studies could be missing. Relapse detection and confirmation methods varied across studies, although all used laboratory testing as standard.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict-of-interest statement appears in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the pooled prevalence of 0.47 as a single relapse rate that applies to all malaria patients. The five studies ranged from 17% to 92.85%, and the meta-analysis reported I2 of 99.04%, so the pooled figure may not represent any one local setting.