CAT and malaria: No significant differences in CAT levels were found between malaria-infected and uninfected individuals, as demonstrated by a meta-analysis overall (P = 0.05, Hedges’ g: − 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI): (− 1.56)–0.01, I2: 98.47, 15 studies), but subgroup analyses showed significant differences in CAT levels in studies conducted in Africa (P = 0.02, Hedges’ g: − 0.57, 95% CI: − 1.02–(0.11), I2: 91.81, 7 studies), and in studies that specifically focused on children (P = 0.03, Hedges’ g: − 0.57, 95% CI: − 1.07–(− 0.07), I2: 87.52, 4 studies).