ArticleBMJ open2013
Asthma and atopic dermatitis are associated with increased risk of clinical Plasmodium falciparum malaria.
Article in BMJ open, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Parasites and allergies: a complex bidirectional relationship from evolutionary origins to modern therapeutics.Antonie van Leeuwenhoek · 2026Review
- Vector saliva controlled inflammatory response of the host may represent the Achilles heel during pathogen transmission.The journal of venomous animals and toxins including tropical diseases · 2021Article
- Mouse NC/Jic strain provides novel insights into host genetic factors for malaria research.Experimental animals · 2019Review
- Understanding the Burden of Atopic Dermatitis in Africa and the Middle East.Dermatology and therapy · 2019Review
- Dynamical malaria models reveal how immunity buffers effect of climate variability.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2015Article
- Risk factors for Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte positivity in a longitudinal cohort.PloS one · 2015Article
- Blood Interferon Signatures Putatively Link Lack of Protection Conferred by the RTS,S Recombinant Malaria Vaccine to an Antigen-specific IgE Response.F1000Research · 2015Article
- Risk factors associated with asthma, atopic dermatitis and rhinoconjunctivitis in a rural Senegalese cohort.Allergy, asthma, and clinical immunology : official journal of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · 2015Article
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 7 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo assess the impact of atopy and allergy on the risk of clinical malaria.
designA clinical and immunological allergy cross-sectional survey in a birth cohort of 175 children from 1 month to 14 years of age followed for up to 15 years in a longitudinal open cohort study of malaria in Senegal. Malaria incidence data were available for 143 of these children (aged 4 months to 14 years of age) for up to 15 years. Mixed-model regression analysis was used to determine the impact of allergy status on malaria incidence, adjusting for age, gender, sickle-cell trait and force of infection.
main outcome measuresAsthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic dermatitis status, the number of clinical Plasmodium falciparum malaria episodes since birth and associated parasite density.
results12% of the children were classified as asthmatic and 10% as having atopic dermatitis. These groups had respectively a twofold (OR 2.12 95%; CI 1.46 to 3.08; p=8×10(-5)) and threefold (OR 3.15; 1.56 to 6.33; p=1.3×10(-3)) increase in the risk of clinical P falciparum malaria once older than the age of peak incidence of clinical malaria (3-4 years of age). They also presented with higher P falciparum parasite densities (asthma: mean 105.3 parasites/μL±SE 41.0 vs 51.3±9.7; p=6.2×10(-3). Atopic dermatitis: 135.4±70.7 vs 52.3±11.0; p=0.014). There was no effect of allergy on the number of non-malaria clinical presentations. Individuals with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis did not have an increased risk of clinical malaria nor any difference in parasite densities.
conclusionsThese results demonstrate that asthma and atopic dermatitis delay the development of clinical immunity to P falciparum. Despite the encouraging decrease in malaria incidence rates in Africa, a significant concern is the extent to which the increase in allergy will exacerbate the burden of malaria. Given the demonstrated antiparasitic effect of antihistamines, administration to atopic children will likely reduce the burden of clinical malaria in these children, increase the efficacy of first-line treatment antimalarials and alleviate the non-infectious consequences of atopy.
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Registered trials
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