Dataset Information

Iron Status and Associated Malaria Risk Among African Children.

ABSTRACT:

Background

It remains unclear whether improving iron status increases malaria risk, and few studies have looked at the effect of host iron status on subsequent malaria infection. We therefore aimed to determine whether a child's iron status influences their subsequent risk of malaria infection in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods

We assayed iron and inflammatory biomarkers from community-based cohorts of 1309 Kenyan and 1374 Ugandan children aged 0-7 years and conducted prospective surveillance for episodes of malaria. Poisson regression models were fitted to determine the effect of iron status on the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of malaria using longitudinal data covering a period of 6 months. Models were adjusted for age, sex, parasitemia, inflammation, and study site.

Results

At baseline, the prevalence of iron deficiency (ID) was 36.9% and 34.6% in Kenyan and Ugandan children, respectively. ID anemia (IDA) affected 23.6% of Kenyan and 17.6% of Ugandan children. Malaria risk was lower in children with ID (IRR, 0.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.6, 0.8; P < .001) and IDA (IRR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.6, 0.9; P = .006). Low transferrin saturation (<10%) was similarly associated with lower malaria risk (IRR, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.6, 0.9; P = .016). However, variation in hepcidin, soluble transferrin receptors (sTfR), and hemoglobin/anemia was not associated with altered malaria risk.

Conclusions

ID appears to protect against malaria infection in African children when defined using ferritin and transferrin saturation, but not when defined by hepcidin, sTfR, or hemoglobin. Additional research is required to determine causality.

Clinical trials registration

ISRCTN32849447.

SUBMITTER: Muriuki JM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6522755 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Iron Status and Associated Malaria Risk Among African Children.

Muriuki John Muthii JM Mentzer Alexander J AJ Kimita Wandia W Ndungu Francis M FM Macharia Alex W AW Webb Emily L EL Lule Swaib A SA Morovat Alireza A Hill Adrian V S AVS Bejon Philip P Elliott Alison M AM Williams Thomas N TN Atkinson Sarah H SH

Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 20190501 11

<h4>Background</h4>It remains unclear whether improving iron status increases malaria risk, and few studies have looked at the effect of host iron status on subsequent malaria infection. We therefore aimed to determine whether a child's iron status influences their subsequent risk of malaria infection in sub-Saharan Africa.<h4>Methods</h4>We assayed iron and inflammatory biomarkers from community-based cohorts of 1309 Kenyan and 1374 Ugandan children aged 0-7 years and conducted prospective surv ...[more]

PMID: 30219845

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Dataset Information

Iron Status and Associated Malaria Risk Among African Children.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Clinical trials registration

Publications

Iron Status and Associated Malaria Risk Among African Children.

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