Does acute malnutrition in young children increase the risk of treatment failure following artemisinin-based combination therapy? A WWARN individual patient data meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The geographical, demographic, and socioeconomic distributions of malaria and malnutrition largely overlap. It remains unknown whether malnutrition affects the efficacy of WHO-recommended artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). A previous systematic review was inconclusive as data were sparse and heterogeneous, indicating that other methodological approaches, such as individual patient data meta-analysis, should be considered. The objective of this study was to conduct such a meta-analysis to assess the effect of malnutrition (wasting and stunting) on treatment outcomes in children younger than 5 years treated with an ACT for uncomplicated falciparum malaria.

Methods

We conducted a meta-analysis of individual patient data from studies identified through a

SUBMITTER: WWARN ACT Malaria and Malnutrition Study Group 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10951956 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature