Ramadan fasting and infectious diseases: a systematic review

Nicola Luigi Bragazzi; Walid Briki; Hicham Khabbache; Ismail Rammouz; Sofiane Mnadla; Taned Demaj; Mohamed Zouhir

doi:10.3855/jidc.5815

Ramadan fasting and infectious diseases: a systematic review

Authors

Nicola Luigi Bragazzi School of Public Health, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
Walid Briki College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
Hicham Khabbache Faculty of Literature and Humanistic Studies, Sais, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco
Ismail Rammouz Psychiatric Centre Ibn Alhassan, CHU Hassan II, Fez, Morocco
Sofiane Mnadla Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tunis University, Tunisia
Taned Demaj Ospedale Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy
Mohamed Zouhir Faculty of Literature and Humanistic Studies, Sais, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.5815

Keywords:

diabetes mellitus, diarrhea and ulcer disease, HIV, hookworm and tropical infections, infectious diseases, Ramadan fasting

Abstract

Ramadan represents the fourth of the five pillars of the Islamic creed. Although patients are exempted from observing this duty, they may be eager to share this moment of the year with their peers. However, there are no guidelines that can help physicians to address the concerns of patients with infectious diseases fasting during Ramadan. For this purpose, we performed a systematic review. of 51 articles. Our main findings are that: 1) patients suffering from diabetes at risk of developing infectious complications should not fast; 2) Ramadan fasting has little impact on diarrheal patients; 3) HIV represents a challenge, and ad hoc drug combinations should be recommended to patients, and the patients should be advised not to take fatty meals that could interfere with the treatment; 4) Ramadan has no effect on the effectiveness of anti-helminthic therapy; and 5) patients with active ulcers should not fast, as they have a higher probability of developing complications.

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Published

2015-11-30

How to Cite

Bragazzi NL, Briki W, Khabbache H, Rammouz I, Mnadla S, Demaj T, Zouhir M (2015) Ramadan fasting and infectious diseases: a systematic review. J Infect Dev Ctries 9:1186–1194. doi: 10.3855/jidc.5815

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Issue

Vol. 9 No. 11: November 2015

Section

Reviews

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