Table 1 Characteristics of the included studies
Characteristics | N | % |
|---|---|---|
Study designs | ||
Case–control studies | 8 | 40 |
Cross-sectional studies | 6 | 30 |
Prospective observational studies | 5 | 25 |
Cohort study | 1 | 5 |
Study areas | ||
Africa | 10 | 50 |
South America | 4 | 20 |
Asia and Oceania | 3 | 15 |
Europe | 2 | 10 |
North America | 1 | 5 |
Plasmodium spp. | ||
P. falciparum | 13 | 65 |
P. falciparum/P. vivax | 4 | 20 |
P. vivax | 2 | 10 |
P. knowlesi/P. falciparum | 1 | 5 |
Participants | ||
Children | 11 | 55 |
Adults | 7 | 35 |
All age groups | 2 | 10 |
Methods for malaria detection | ||
Microscopy | 16 | 80 |
Microscopy/PCR | 4 | 20 |
Methods for TGF-β quantification | ||
Bead-based assay | 13 | 65 |
ELISA | 7 | 35 |