Reframing the Malaria-Sickle Cell Disease Relationship in Sub-Saharan Africa as a Bounded Syndemic: A Scoping Review and Evidence Gap Map

This OSF project contains the protocol and supporting materials for a scoping review titled “Reframing the Malaria-Sickle Cell Disease Relationship in Sub-Saharan Africa as a Bounded Syndemic: A Scoping Review and Evidence Gap Map.” The review aims to map and synthesise evidence on the relationship between malaria and sickle cell disease in sub-Saharan Africa using a bounded syndemic framework. The review focuses on seven evidence domains: biological interaction between malaria and red blood cell polymorphisms, spatial co-risk and malaria-HbS/SCD geography, clinical convergence and under-recognition, service-mediated visibility and routine data, structural vulnerability and access to essential SCD services, programme response and screening-to-care systems, and use of syndemic theory in malaria-SCD literature. The review will include published and relevant grey literature addressing malaria, sickle cell disease, sickle cell anaemia, HbS, malaria-relevant erythrocyte polymorphisms, severe anaemia, newborn screening, diagnostic visibility, routine data, hydroxyurea, transfusion, health-system readiness, programme implementation, and syndemic theory. The review will be conducted and reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR. The final synthesis will include source characteristics, domain mapping, evidence integration, geographic evidence distribution, and an evidence gap map to identify where evidence is concentrated, fragmented, or insufficiently translated into public health planning. This project is intended to provide a transparent record of the review protocol, search strategy, eligibility criteria, data charting framework, evidence-domain coding structure, and planned synthesis approach.