Obesity, Diabetes, Plasmodium Infection, and Severe Malaria in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

This study aimed to investigate existing evidence regarding the associations of obesity and diabetes with Plasmodium infection and severe malaria in adults.

We comprehensively searched relevant studies using Embase, Medline, Global Health, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. The primary exposures were obesity and diabetes. The primary outcomes were Plasmodium infection and severe malaria. We performed meta-analyses to pool unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios using a random-effects model.

We found 9 studies that met our inclusion criteria; all of these studies were eligible for the meta-analysis. None of the 9 studies investigated the potential link between obesity and Plasmodium infection. The meta-analysis results showed that there was no statistically significant relationship between obesity and severe malaria (2 studies), diabetes and Plasmodium infection (5 studies), or diabetes and severe malaria (3 studies).

Our study findings showed that obesity was not associated with severe malaria, and diabetes was not associated with either Plasmodium infection or severe malaria. Additional epidemiological studies should be conducted to elucidate the relationships between obesity, diabetes, and Plasmodium infection.