Table 3.
Subgroup analysis of effect size, including parameters of strength of evidence, robustness, and prediction interval.
| Subgroups | Pooled ES 1 (95% CI 2) * | No Serious Publication Bias (Pooled ES; 95% CI) ** | 95% Prediction Interval | Number of MAs 3 | No Serious Studies’ Inconsistency (I2) 4 | No Serious Impression (SE) 5 | Power of Test (%) | Robustness (Pooled ES; 95% CI) † |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autoimmune disorders | ||||||||
| Endocrine | 0.96 (0.92–1.00) | Yes (0.97; 0.95–1.00) | 0.72–1.29 | 120 | Yes (45.6%) | Yes (0.02) | 90.0 | Yes (0.93; 0.89–0.98) |
| Neurological | 1.02 (0.95–1.10) | Yes (0.91; 0.89–0.94) | 0.65–1.60 | 95 | Yes (47.0%) | Yes (0.04) | 73.0 | No (1.10; 1.02–1.20) |
| Gastrointestinal | 1.03 (0.93–1.13) | No (1.06; 1.00–1.12) | 0.63–1.66 | 41 | No (50.9%) | Yes (0.05) | 40.3 | Yes (1.05; 0.96–1.14) |
| Hematologic | 1.12 (0.91–1.36) | Yes (1.09; 0.97–1.24) | 0.43–2.89 | 27 | No (52.4%) | No (0.10) | 5.2 | No (1.22; 1.02–1.47) |
| Dermatological | 0.98 (0.85–1.13) | Yes (0.98; 0.87–1.11) | 0.68–1.41 | 10 | Yes (7.9%) | Yes (0.07) | 17.5 | Yes (1.28; 0.86–1.90) |
| Connective tissue | 0.98 (0.93–1.04) | Yes (0.98; 0.93–1.04) | 0.87–1.10 | 47 | Yes (<0.1%) | Yes (0.03) | 5.0 | Yes (1.07; 0.97–1.19) |
| Vasculitis | 1.09 (0.91–1.29) | Yes (1.08; 0.94–1.25) | 0.60–1.96 | 20 | Yes (22.6%) | Yes (0.09) | 5.3 | Yes (1.12; 0.96–1.31) |
| Type of vaccine | ||||||||
| Killed | 1.00 (0.97–1.03) | Yes (1.00; 0.98–1.02) | 0.73–1.36 | 251 | Yes (38.0%) | Yes (0.02) | >99.9 | No (1.07; 1.01–1.12) |
| Live | 0.99 (0.92–1.07) | Yes (0.94; 0.90–0.98) | 0.60–1.62 | 72 | No (54.4%) | Yes (0.04) | 90.5 | Yes (1.00; 0.93–1.07) |
| Unspecific | 1.03 (0.93–1.15) | Yes (0.90; 0.87–0.93) | 0.73–1.47 | 19 | Yes (41.4%) | Yes (0.06) | 41.2 | Yes (1.09; 0.95–1.25) |
| Lipid-adjuvants | 0.94 (0.83–1.07) | Yes (0.95; 0.85–1.06) | 0.63–1.41 | 22 | Yes (14.5%) | Yes (0.07) | 68.3 | Yes (0.96; 0.86–1.06) |
| Study methodology | ||||||||
| Case–control | 0.96 (0.91–0.99) | Yes (0.91; 0.89–0.93) | 0.74–1.22 | 152 | Yes (21.6%) | Yes (0.02) | >99.9 | Yes (1.03; 0.98–1.09) |
| Cohort | 1.00 (0.95–1.04) | Yes (0.98; 0.95–1.00) | 0.67–1.47 | 176 | Yes (49.4%) | Yes (0.02) | >99.9 | Yes (1.05; 0.97–1.13) |
| Modified | 1.08 (0.99–1.16) | Yes (1.03; 0.99–1.07) | 0.82–1.41 | 36 | Yes (26.9%) | Yes (0.04) | 11.6 | No (1.11; 1.01–1.22) |
| Measures of association | ||||||||
| Crude | 0.97 (0.90–1.05) | Yes (0.97; 0.92–1.02) | 0.60–1.56 | 94 | Yes (35.7%) | Yes (0.04) | 96.4 | Yes (1.07; 0.98–1.18) |
| Adjusted | 1.00 (0.97–1.03) | Yes (0.96; 0.95–0.98) | 0.74–1.36 | 270 | Yes (46.7%) | Yes (0.02) | >99.9 | Yes (1.04; 0.99–1.08) |
| Age of study population | ||||||||
| <18 years | 1.02 (0.98–1.06) | Yes (1.02; 0.99–1.04) | 0.78–1.32 | 184 | Yes (27.3%) | Yes (0.02) | 99.9 | Yes (1.00; 0.95–1.04) |
| >18 years | 0.99 (0.94–1.05) | Yes (0.96; 0.93–1.00) | 0.65–1.50 | 91 | No (56.3%) | Yes (0.03) | 98.7 | Yes (1.06; 0.99–1.13) |
| General population | 0.95 (0.90–1.02) | Yes (0.90 (0.88–0.93) | 0.65–1.39 | 89 | Yes (42.3%) | Yes (0.03) | >99.9 | Yes (1.09; 0.99–1.21) |
| Study locality | ||||||||
| Asia | 1.09 (0.94–1.26) | Yes (1.09; 0.94–1.26) | 0.80–1.48 | 16 | Yes (<0.1%) | Yes (0.08) | 5.0 | Yes (1.28; 0.84–1.94) |
| Australia | 1.10 (0.86–1.41) | Yes (1.10; 0.86–1.41) | 0.63–1.95 | 6 | Yes (<0.1%) | No (0.13) | 5.0 | Yes (0.92; 0.77–1.09) |
| Europe | 1.01 (0.98–1.04) | Yes (0.97; 0.95–0.99) | 0.76–1.33 | 229 | Yes (41.2%) | Yes (0.02) | >99.9 | Yes (1.02; 0.98–1.06) |
| North America | 0.96 (0.90–1.02) | Yes (0.92; 0.89–0.96) | 0.58–1.57 | 113 | No (53.0%) | Yes (0.03) | 99.9 | Yes (1.07; 0.99–1.15) |
| Year of publication | ||||||||
| 1990 or older | 1.04 (0.83–1.31) | Yes (1.04; 0.83–1.31) | 0.62–1.75 | 7 | Yes (<0.1%) | No (0.12) | 5.0 | Yes (0.88; 0.75–1.03) |
| 1991–2000 | 0.98 (0.91–1.06) | Yes (0.98; 0.92–1.05) | 0.77–1.25 | 43 | Yes (9.6%) | Yes (0.04) | 87.5 | Yes (0.93; 0.86–1.01) |
| 2001–2010 | 1.00 (0.93–1.08) | Yes (0.99; 0.94–1.04) | 0.63–1.58 | 73 | Yes (44.5%) | Yes (0.04) | 82.5 | Yes (1.04; 0.97–1.11) |
| 2011 or newer | 1.00 (0.96–1.03) | Yes (0.96; 0.94–0.98) | 0.72–1.37 | 241 | Yes (48.5%) | Yes (0.02) | >99.9 | No (1.09; 1.03–1.15) |
1 ES: effect size, 2 CI: confidence interval; 3 MAs: measures of association; 4 I2: index of inconsistency; 5 SE: standard deviation; *: pooled effect size derived from the random-effects model including 95% confidence interval; **: pooled effect size derived from the fixed-effects model including 95% confidence interval; and †: pooled effect size derived from the random-effects model including 95% confidence interval (studies of any risk of bias).