High Iron Stores in the Low Malaria Season Increase Malaria Risk in the High Transmission Season in a Prospective Cohort of Rural Zambian Children
This study uses data collected from young children participating in a biofortified maize efficacy trial
Abstract
Higher iron stores, defined by serum ferritin (SF) concentration, may increase malaria risk. The authors evaluated the association between SF assessed during low malaria season and the risk of malaria during high malaria season, controlling for inflammation.
Data for this prospective study were collected from children aged 4–8 years participating in a biofortified maize efficacy trial in rural Zambia. The authors observed an age-dependent, positive dose-response association between ferritin in the low malaria season and malaria incidence during the high malaria season in younger children. Their findings underscore the need to integrate iron interventions with malaria control programs.
This work is an output of the HarvestPlus Programme. The Department for International Development is one of the main donors for HarvestPlus.
Citation
Barffour, Maxwell A., Kerry J. Schulze, Christian L. Coles, Justin Chileshe, Ng’andwe Kalungwana, Margia Arguello, Ward Siamusantu, William J. Moss, Keith P. West Jr., and Amanda C. Palmer. 2017. “High iron stores in the low malaria season increase malaria risk in the high transmission season in a prospective cohort of rural Zambian children.” Journal of Nutrition 147 (8): 1531-1536. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.117.250381.