Table 3.
Subgroup analyses
| Subgroup | Trials | People | Risk ratio (95% CI), fixed | I2; χ2 (p Value) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mortality | 13 | 138 302 | 0.95 (0.86 to 1.05) | 0%; 10.57 (p=0.65) |
| Iron cosupplementation (I2=23%; χ2=1.30, p=0.25) | ||||
| With iron | 4 | 99 242 | 0.99 (0.86 to 1.15) | 0%; 0.76 (p=0.86) |
| Without iron | 11 | 64 985 | 0.89 (0.79 to 1.00) | 0%; 9.99 (p=0.44) |
| Age (I2=59.8%; χ2=2.48, p=0.11) | ||||
| 6 months to 1 year | 6 | 29 879 | 1.06 (0.88 to 1.27) | 0%; 2.56 (p=0.77) |
| 1–5 years | 8 | 125 903 | 0.89 (0.80 to 0.99) | 12%; 10.28 (p=0.33) |
| Dose, mg (I2=0%; χ2=2.64, p=0.45) | ||||
| 0–5 | 2 | 717 | 0.72 (0.08 to 6.47) | 29%; 1.41 (p=0.23) |
| 5–10 | 1 | 274 | 3.04 (0.32 to 28.90) | Not applicable |
| 10–15 | 11 | 152 062 | 0.93 (0.84 to 1.02) | 0%; 8.16 (p=0.61) |
| 20 or more | 1 | 2464 | 0.14 (0.01 to 2.78) | Not applicable |
| Duration, months (I2=0%; χ2=1.20, p=0.55) | ||||
| 0–6 | 2 | 2817 | 0.59 (0.07 to 5.15) | 47%; 1.88. (p=0.17.) |
| 6–12 | 7 | 3898 | 0.68 (0.37 to 1.25) | 4%; 6.23 (p=0.40) |
| 12 or more | 6 | 148 802 | 0.93 (0.85 to 1.03) | 0%; 2.91 (p=0.71) |
| Formulation (I2=0%; χ2=0.54, p=0.91) | ||||
| Solution | 5 | 3639 | 0.99 (0.25 to 3.91) | 15%; 4.68 (p=0.32) |
| Pill/tablet | 8 | 149 854 | 0.93 (0.85 to 1.02) | 0%; 6.99 (p=0.43) |
| Capsule | 1 | 306 | 0.51 (0.05 to 5.60) | Not applicable |
| Powder | 1 | 1718 | 0.71 (0.27 to 1.86) | Not applicable |
| Incidence of diarrhoea | 35 | 15 042 | 0.87 (0.85 to 0.89) | 88%; 295.56 (p<0.00001) |
| Iron cosupplementation (I2=99%; χ2=65.11, p<0.00001) | ||||
| With iron | 10 | 4299 | 1.00 (0.96 to 1.05) | 76%; 37.33 (p<0.00001) |
| Without iron | 22 | 11 344 | 0.82 (0.80 to 0.84) | 87%; 196.27 (p<0.00001) |
| Age (I2=0%; χ2=0.32, p=0.85) | ||||
| 6 months to 1 year | 10 | 5576 | 0.88 (0.85 to 0.90) | 95%; 252.46 (p<0.00001) |
| 1–5 years | 15 | 8370 | 0.87 (0.84 to 0.90) | 43%; 31.48 (p=0.03) |
| 5–13 years | 1 | 842 | 0.90 (0.81 to 0.98) | Not applicable |
| Dose, mg (I2=98%; χ2=195.69, p<0.00001) | ||||
| 0–5 | 4 | 1784 | 0.95 (0.89 to 1.01) | 73%; 22.46 (p=0.001) |
| 5–10 | 6 | 2630 | 0.73 (0.64 to 0.83) | 67%; 15.32 (p=0.009) |
| 10–15 | 11 | 5452 | 0.96 (0.92 to 0.99) | 69%; 38.39 (p=0.0001) |
| 15–20 | 2 | 477 | 0.61 (0.58 to 0.65) | 0%; 0.21 (p<0.00001) |
| 20 or more | 6 | 4931 | 0.90 (0.87 to 0.94) | 75%; 28.17 (p<0.00001) |
| Duration, months (I2=0%; χ2=1.15, p=0.56) | ||||
| 0–6 | 7 | 4190 | 0.89 (0.85 to 0.93) | 57%; 16.42 (p=0.02) |
| 6–12 | 14 | 8971 | 0.86 (0.84 to 0.89) | 93%; 250.92 (p<0.00001) |
| 12 or more | 5 | 1881 | 0.88 (0.82 to 0.95) | 73%; 29.82 (p=0.0002) |
| Formulation (I2=94%; χ2=51.34, p<0.00001) | ||||
| Solution | 19 | 10 768 | 0.84 (0.82 to 0.86) | 90%; 236.48 (p<0.00001) |
| Pill/tablet | 3 | 1696 | 0.90 (0.81 to 0.99) | 5%; 3.15 (p=0.37) |
| Capsule | 1 | 612 | 0.78 (0.60 to 1.01) | Not applicable |
| Powder | 2 | 1861 | 1.04 (0.98 to 1.09) | 0%; 0.65 (p=0.42) |