Table 4.

Pooled estimates (incidence rate ratio) of effect of iron supplementation on total and individual infections

Infection type	No of trials	Random effects model (95% CI)	P value	Tests for heterogeneity (P value)
Diarrhoea	17	1.11 (1.01 to 1.23)	0.04	30.24 (0.04)
Non-diarrhoeal	24	0.97 (0.95 to 1.06)	0.99	63.05 (<0.0001)
Respiratory tract	17	0.98 (0.90 to 1.06)	0.54	53.18 (<0.0001)
Malaria	5	1.07 (0.94 to 1.24)	0.35	5.58 (0.35)
Other infections*	13	1.04 (0.98 to 1.11)	0.20	18.15 (0.15)
Lower respiratory tract†	8	0.97 (0.83 to 1.23)	0.93	21.91 (0.003)
Dysentery†	2	1.00 (0.87 to 1.15)	0.99	0.02 (0.90)

^*Other infections included septicaemia, urinary tract infections, tuberculosis, unspecified fever, pyoderma, and infectious morbidities not classifiable under respiratory tract infections, diarrhoea, or malaria. 

^†Included as component of respiratory tract infection or diarrhoea (as relevant). Separate stratification done to assess possible differential effects on more severe infection.