Association of G6PD status and haemolytic anaemia in patients receiving anti-malarial agents: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Table 6 Summary of the findings

Association of G6PD status and haemolytic anaemia in patients receiving anti-malarial agents: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Patient or population: people with malaria infection receiving anti-malarial agents Intervention: G6PD deficiency (G6PDd) Comparison: G6PD normal (G6PDn)
Outcome	No. of Participants (studies)	Quality of the evidence (GRADE)	Relative effect (95% CI)	Anticipated absolute effects
Outcome	No. of Participants (studies)			Risk of G6PDn patients	Risk of G6PDd patients (95% CI)
Haemoglobin level (single low-dose PQ)	397 patients in 4 studies	⨁⨁⨁◯ Moderate due to inconsistency and imprecision	–	The mean Hb level from 10.3 to 14.4 g/dL	The mean Hb level was 0.7 g/dL lower (1.91 lower to 0.5 higher)
Haemoglobin level (in low dose PQ)	660 patients in 5 studies	⨁⨁⨁⨁ High	–	The mean Hb level from 10.3 to 14.4 g/dL	The mean Hb level was 0.04 g/dL lower (0.35 lower to 0.27 higher)
Anaemia in PQ therapy	280 patients in 3 studies	⨁⨁⨁⨁ High	RR = 1.02 (0.75 to 1.38)	8 per 1000 patients	8 per 1000 (from 97 fewer to 147 more)

*The risk in the G6PDd group (and its 95% CI) is based on the assumed risk in the G6PDn group
PQ: primaquine; CI: confidence interval
GRADE Working Group grades of evidence
High quality: We are very confident that the true effect lies close to that of the estimate of the effect
Moderate quality: We are moderately confident in the effect estimate: The true effect is likely to be close to the estimate of the effect, but there is a possibility that it is substantially different
Low quality: Our confidence in the effect estimate is limited: The true effect may be substantially different from the estimate of the effect
Very low quality: We have very little confidence in the effect estimate: The true effect is likely to be substantially different from the estimate of effect

ISSN: 1475-2875