Journal Article Systematic Review Meta-Analysis Epublish
PubMed: 39689367 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0709
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Female Reproductive Health Following Ebola Virus Disease.
Am J Trop Med Hyg 112(3):663-673
Authors: Madison Drogy, Celia Glezer, Emily Engel, Nell Bond, Keith Pickett, Jeffrey Shaffer, John Schieffelin, Crystal Zheng
Affiliations
- School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University Newcomb-Tulane College, New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Rudolph Matas Library of the Health Sciences, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Abstract
The viral hemorrhagic fevers Lassa fever (LF) and Ebola virus disease (EVD) have been documented to cause long-term health problems in survivors. Limited studies have noted the presence of adverse reproductive health outcomes, including menstrual irregularities and pregnancy loss, after recovery from infection. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to summarize existing knowledge surrounding reproductive health in female survivors of LF and EVD. Literature was gathered from PubMed, Embase, Ovid Medline, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL) Complete, Web of Science, and Global Health databases and subsequently reviewed in Covidence. Included studies described at least one reproductive health outcome in women after recovery from EVD or LF. Thirteen studies were identified in the systematic review, all of which only discussed reproductive health in EVD survivors. No studies of reproductive health among survivors of LF were identified. The included studies were conducted in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, and they reported irregular menstruation, pregnancy loss, decreased libido, pelvic inflammatory disease, sexual dysfunction, female reproductive odor, and genital problems/infections among survivors. In a meta-analysis of nine studies, 14.0% of female EVD survivors experienced any adverse reproductive health outcome. However, there was significant heterogeneity among the included studies. This study highlights the health problems faced by female EVD survivors and underscores the need for more research surrounding the effects of viral hemorrhagic fevers on women's health.
MeSH
Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral, Pregnancy, Lassa Fever, Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola, Tropical Medicine, Reproductive Health, Recycling, Viruses, Infections, Virus Diseases, Ebolavirus