Table 3.
Subgroup analyses of IL-4 levels in TB and controls.
| Subgroup analysis of plasma levels (n) | SMD [95% CI], P value, I2 (%), Ph | Subgroup analysis of serum levels (n) | SMD [95% CI], P value, I2 (%), Ph |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall (13) | 0.290 [−0.430 to 1.010], .429, 95.9%, <.0001 | Overall (34) | 0.630 [0.162, 1.092], .010, 97.0%, <.0001 |
| Ethnicity | Ethnicity | ||
| Caucasian (4) | 0.589 [−2.14, 3.318], .672, 98.6%, <.0001 | Caucasian (12) | 0.224 [−0.396, 0.844], .479, 91.8%, <.0001 |
| African (9) | 0.194 [−0.303, 0.691], .444, 88.9%, <.0001 | Asian (19) | 0.887 [0.202, 1.573], .011, 97.8%, <.0001 |
| Study design | African (3) | 0.185 [−0.528, 0.898], .610, 90.8%, <.0001 | |
| CCS (7) | 0.453 [−0.036, 0.941], .069, 87.2%, <.0001 | Study design | |
| CSS (3) | −1.089 [−1.744, −0.433], .001, 62.5%, .070 | CCS (24) | 0.906 [0.272, 1.540], .005, 97.5%, <0.0001 |
| CS (3) | 1.345 [−2.223, 4.913], .460, 99.0%, <.0001 | CSS (4) | 0.527 [0.215, 0.839], .001, 41.4%, .163 |
| Assay approach | CS (6) | −0.421 [−1.344, 0.503], .372, 96.6%, <.0001 | |
| ELISA (11) | 0.416 [−0.374, 1.206], .302, 96.2%, <.0001 | Assay approach | |
| CBA (2) | −0.413 [−2.858, 2.032], .470, 96.4%, <.0001 | ELISA (30) | 0.541 [0.032, 1.050], .037, 97.2%, <.0001 |
| Infection site | CBA (4) | 1.127 [0.028, 2.225], .044, 93.3%, <.0001 | |
| PTB (11) | 0.440 [−0.385, 1.265], .296, 96.4%, <.0001 | Infection site | |
| EP-TB (2) | −0.505 [−1.673, 0.663], .397, 87.5%, .005 | PTB (29) | 0.689 [0.152, 1.226], .012, 97.3%, <.0001 |
| Infection status | EP-TB (5) | 0.166 [−0.275, 0.606], .461, 75.7%, .002 | |
| Active (10) | 0.579 [−0.274, 1.431], .183, 95.6%, <.0001 | Drug resistance | |
| Latent (3) | −0.636 [−1.818, 0.546], .291, 95.3%, <.0001 | MDR TB (1) | NA |
| Without MDR TB (4) | 0.762 [−0.778, 2.302], .332, 94.0%, <.0001 | ||
| Mixed (29) | 0.584 [0.072, 1.095], .025, 97.3%, <.0001 | ||
| Infection status | |||
| Active (27) | 0.920 [0.387, 1.452], .001, 97.2%, <.0001 | ||
| Latent (7) | −0.565 [−1.436, 0.305], .203, 94.7%, <.0001 |
BAL = bronchoalveolar lavage, CBA = cytometric bead array, CCS = case–control study, CI = confidence interval, CS = cohort study, CSS = cross sectional study, ELISA = enzyme linked-immuno-sorbent assay, EP-TB = extrapulmonary tuberculosis, MDR TB = multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, NA = not applicable, PTB = pulmonary tuberculosis.