title: Epidemiology of lower respiratory infection and pneumonia in South Africa (1997-2015): a systematic review protocol.
abstract: Lower respiratory infections (LRIs) and pneumonia are among the leading causes of death worldwide, especially in children aged under 5 years, and these patterns are reflected in the South African population. Local epidemiological data for LRIs and pneumonia are required to inform the Second National Burden of Disease Study underway in South Africa. The aim of this systematic review is to identify published studies reporting the prevalence, incidence, case fatality, duration or severity of LRI and pneumonia in adults and children in South Africa.
  
  
  
  Electronic database searches will be conducted to obtain studies reporting on the prevalence, incidence, case fatality, duration and severity of LRI and pneumonia in South Africa between January 1997 and December 2015. Studies that are assessed to have moderate or low risk of bias will be included in a meta-analysis, if appropriate. Where meta-analysis is not possible, the articles will be described narratively. Subgroup analysis (eg, age groups) will also be conducted where enough information is available.
  
  
  
  This systematic review will only include published data with no linked patient-level information; thus, no ethics approval is required. The findings will be used to calculate the burden of disease attributed to LRI and pneumonia in South Africa and will highlight the type of epidemiological data available in the country. The article will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed publication.
  
  
  
  CRD42016036520.
authors.affiliation: Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Rifqah A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Roomaney
authors.affiliation: Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pillay-van Wyk
authors.affiliation: Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa Community Health Division, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Oluwatoyin F
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Awotiwon
authors.affiliation: Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa Division of Human Nutrition and Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dhansay
authors.affiliation: Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Pam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Groenewald
authors.affiliation: Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Jané D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Joubert
authors.affiliation: Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Mweete D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Nglazi
authors.affiliation: Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa Community Health Division, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nicol
authors.affiliation: Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Debbie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bradshaw
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D015995:Prevalence; D012107:Research Design; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D000078202:Systematic Reviews as Topic
keywords: burden of disease; lower respiratory infection; pneumonia; south africa