Open AccessRamadan is not associated with increased infection risk in Pakistani and Bangladeshi populations: Findings from controlled interrupted time series analysis of UK primary care data
Author(s) -
Munerah Almulhem,
Rasiah Thayakaran,
Shahjehan Hanif,
Tiffany E Gooden,
G. Neil Thomas,
Jonathan Hazlehurst,
Abd Tahrani,
Wasim Hanif,
Krishnarajah Nirantharakumar
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0262530
Subject(s) - interrupted time series analysis , series (stratigraphy) , interrupted time series , primary care , medicine , time series , demography , pediatrics , biology , statistics , family medicine , mathematics , sociology , paleontology , psychiatry , psychological intervention
Background The effect of fasting on immunity is unclear. Prolonged fasting is thought to increase the risk of infection due to dehydration. This study describes antibiotic prescribing patterns before, during, and after Ramadan in a primary care setting within the Pakistani and Bangladeshi populations in the UK, most of whom are Muslims, compared to those who do not observe Ramadan. Method Retrospective controlled interrupted time series analysis of electronic health record data from primary care practices. The study consists of two groups: Pakistanis/Bangladeshis and white populations. For each group, we constructed a series of aggregated, daily prescription data from 2007 to 2017 for the 30 days preceding, during, and after Ramadan, respectively. Findings Controlling for the rate in the white population, there was no evidence of increased antibiotic prescription in the Pakistani/Bangladeshi population during Ramadan, as compared to before Ramadan (IRR: 0.994; 95% CI: 0.988–1.001, p = 0.082) or after Ramadan (IRR: 1.006; 95% CI: 0.999–1.013, p = 0.082). Interpretation In this large, population-based study, we did not find any evidence to suggest that fasting was associated with an increased susceptibility to infection.