Association between inflammation factors and Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children: Protocol for a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Several clinical studies have reported that inflammation factors (IF) are associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children. However, no study systematically investigated the association between IF and M pneumoniae in pediatric population. Thus, this study will explore the association between IF and pediatric M pneumoniae systematically. METHODS: This study will search following databases of PUBMED, PsycINFO, Scopus, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database from inception to the February 28, 2019 without any language limitations. We will cover clinical studies of M pneumoniae that report associations between IF and M pneumoniae. In addition, reference lists of relevant studies will also be identified to avoid missing any eligible studies. Two investigators will independently screen and select studies, and will assess the methodological quality for each study, which is evaluated by using Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Any disagreements will be settled down through discussion with a third investigator until consensus is reached. RESULTS: This study will explore the associations between IF and M pneumoniae by assessing the changes of IF, such as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, and IL-17 at different stages of M pneumoniae. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study may provide most recent evidence for the associations between IF and M pneumoniae in pediatric populations. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not needed in this study, because no individual patient data will be utilized in this study. The findings of this study are expected to be published at peer-reviewed journal or will be presented at professional conference. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42019125359.