SynthesisPloS one2014
The association between malaria and iron status or supplementation in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 47 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Associations of maternal iron deficiency with malaria infection in a cohort of pregnant Papua New Guinean women.Malaria journal · 2022Trial
- Malaria early in the first pregnancy: Potential impact of iron status.Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2020Trial
- Trial
- A double blind randomised controlled trial comparing standard dose of iron supplementation for pregnant women with two screen-and-treat approaches using hepcidin as a biomarker for ready and safe to receive iron.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2016Trial
- Antiretroviral Treatment Is Associated With Iron Deficiency in HIV-Infected Malawian Women That Is Mitigated With Supplementation, but Is Not Associated With Infant Iron Deficiency During 24 Weeks of Exclusive Breastfeeding.Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) · 2015Trial
- Host iron status and iron supplementation mediate susceptibility to erythrocytic stage Plasmodium falciparum.Nature communications · 2014Trial
- Prevalence of placental Plasmodium falciparum malaria and associated factors among pregnant women in health facilities in Eastern Uganda.Malaria journal · 2026Article
- Host iron deficiency protects againstScience advances · 2026Article
- Review
- Inflammatory-Metal Profile as a Hallmark for COVID-19 Severity During Pregnancy.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2022Article
- The relationship between markers of antenatal iron stores and birth outcomes differs by malaria prevention regimen-a prospective cohort study.BMC medicine · 2021Article
- Diagnosis & management of imported malaria in pregnant women in non-endemic countries.The Indian journal of medical research · 2020Review
- Update of pre- and postnatal iron supplementation in malaria endemic settings.Seminars in perinatology · 2019Review
- Article
- Monitoring and surveillance for multiple micronutrient supplements in pregnancy.Maternal & child nutrition · 2018Review
- Iron deficiency during pregnancy is associated with a reduced risk of adverse birth outcomes in a malaria-endemic area in a longitudinal cohort study.BMC medicine · 2018Article
- Iron Absorption in Iron-Deficient Women, Who Received 65 mg Fe with an Indonesian Breakfast, Is Much Better from NaFe(III)EDTA than from Fe(II)SO₄, with an Acceptable Increase of Plasma NTBI. A Randomized Clinical Trial.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2018Article
- Malaria and Iron Load at the First Antenatal Visit in the Rural South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Is Iron Supplementation Safe or Could It Be Harmful?The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2018Article
- High Iron Levels Are Associated with Increased Malaria Risk in Infants during the First Year of Life in Benin.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionMalaria prevention and iron supplementation are associated with improved maternal and infant outcomes. However, evidence from studies in children suggests iron may adversely modify the risk of malaria. We reviewed the evidence in pregnancy of the association between malaria and markers of iron status, iron supplementation or parenteral treatment. METHODS AND
findingsWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Global Health Library, and the Malaria in Pregnancy library to identify studies that investigated the association between iron status, iron treatment or supplementation during pregnancy and malaria. Thirty one studies contributed to the analysis; 3 experimental and 28 observational studies. Iron supplementation was not associated with an increased risk of P. falciparum malaria during pregnancy or delivery in Africa (summary Relative Risk = 0.89, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.66-1.20, I(2) = 78.8%, 5 studies). One study in Asia reported an increased risk of P. vivax within 30 days of iron supplementation (e.g. adjusted Hazard Ratio = 1.75, 95% CI 1.14-2.70 for 1-15 days), but not after 60 days. Iron deficiency (based on ferritin and C-reactive protein) was associated with lower odds for malaria infection (summary Odds Ratio = 0.35, 0.24-0.51, I(2) = 59.2%, 5 studies). With the exception of the acute phase protein ferritin, biomarkers of iron deficiency were generally not associated with malaria infection.
conclusionsIron supplementation was associated with a temporal increase in P vivax, but not with an increased risk of P. falciparum; however, data are insufficient to rule out the potential for an increased risk of P. falciparum. Iron deficiency was associated with a decreased malaria risk in pregnancy only when measured with ferritin. Until there is more evidence, it is prudent to provide iron in combination with malaria prevention during pregnancy.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.