Table 2.
Sub-group analysis of the pooled prevalence and odds ratios for the association between malaria and epilepsy
| Variables | Datasets (n) | Pooled prevalence of outcome in cases % (95% CI) | Pooled prevalence of outcome in controls % (95% CI) | Odds ratios (95% CI) | Heterogeneity (I2%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study design | |||||
| Epilepsy-based | 18 | 63.47 (46.43–78.96) | 54.26 (33.92–73.90) | 1.70 (0.99–2.91) | 95.79 |
| Malaria-based | 6 | 10.70 (6.74–15.40) | 1.28 (0.22–2.95) | 7.10 (3.50–14.38) | 20.25 |
| Type of studies | |||||
| Prospective cohort | 4 | 8.96 (6.27–12.06) | 0.75 (0.03–2.07) | 10.87 (3.06–38.58) | 48.16 |
| Retrospective cohort | 2 | 12.25 (7.79–17.49) | 2.69 (0.79–5.43) | 5.2 (2.17–12.46) | 0 |
| Cross-sectional | 10 | 58.15 (37.62–77.32) | 49.03 (24.50–73.80) | 1.74 (0.84–3.62) | 97.19 |
| Case–control | 8 | 69.98 (36.66–94.52) | 60.74 (25.63–90.49) | 1.64 (0.71–3.79) | 90.88 |
| Diagnostic method | |||||
| Malaria IgG + ve (schizont) | 11 | 80.02 (57.97–95.26) | 79.04 (57.01–94.60) | 1.08 (0.71–1.65) | 80.33 |
| Slide-positive malaria | 11 | 21.84 (8.48–39.08) | 6.85 (0.09–21.31) | 4.80 (2.36–9.77) | 89.99 |
| Medical history | 2 | 34.34 (31.93–36.79) | 5.37 (4.44–6.38) | 3.19 (0.23–43.09) | 98.83 |
| Type of population | |||||
| Adult and children | 9 | 65.44 (39.43–87.31) | 58.65 (27.97–86.02) | 1.59 (0.75–3.37) | 95.11 |
| Adult | 3 | 69.25 (22.70–99.20) | 68.42 (14.33–99.99) | 0.97 (0.72–1.31) | 0 |
| Children | 12 | 32.58 (14.43–53.88) | 16.26 (3.39–35.81) | 3.92 (1.81–8.50) | 93.66 |
| Quality score | |||||
| Moderate | 12 | 44.37 (22.23–67.74) | 34.66 (12.64–60.83) | 1.64 (0.93–2.90) | 91.11 |
| High | 12 | 54.72 (32.61–75.91) | 40.04 (18.12–64.29) | 3.61 (1.62–8.04) | 95.86 |
| Years | |||||
| 2003–2010 | 7 | 17.35 (4.15–36.63) | 3.43 (0.38–8.83) | 6.39 (4.25–9.62) | 33.34 |
| 2010–2022 | 17 | 63.72 (44.45–80.97) | 56.28 (34.01–77.32) | 1.58 (0.89–2.81) | 95.42 |
| Total | 24 | 49.57 (34.20–64.99) | 37.35 (21.05–55.26) | 2.36 (1.44–3.88) | 95.02 |