SynthesisPLoS neglected tropical diseases2023
Effects of helminths and anthelmintic treatment on cardiometabolic diseases and risk factors: A systematic review.
Synthesis in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in patients with diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.International health · 2024Pooled it
- Article
- Dampened inflammation and reduced risk of osteoarthritis among non-industrialized societies.Osteoarthritis and cartilage · 2026Review
- Clinical challenges and technological breakthroughs in helminthic therapy for diabetes.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Lower BMI in Tanzanian Adults withGlobal heart · 2025Article
- Parasites revive hope for cancer therapy.European journal of medical research · 2024Review
- Development of solid lipid nanoparticles-loaded drugs in parasitic diseases.Discover nano · 2024Review
- Association between arterial stiffness and Loa loa microfilaremia in a rural area of the Republic of Congo: A population-based cross-sectional study (the MorLo project).PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundGlobally, helminth infections and cardiometabolic diseases often overlap in populations and individuals. Neither the causal relationship between helminth infections and cardiometabolic diseases nor the effect of helminth eradication on cardiometabolic risk have been reviewed systematically in a large number of human and animal studies.
methodsWe conducted a systematic review assessing the reported effects of helminth infections and anthelmintic treatment on the development and/or severity of cardiometabolic diseases and risk factors. The search was limited to the most prevalent human helminths worldwide. This study followed PRISMA guidelines and was registered prospectively in PROSPERO (CRD42021228610). Searches were performed on December 10, 2020 and rerun on March 2, 2022 using Ovid MEDLINE ALL (1946 to March 2, 2022), Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Global Index Medicus, and Ovid Embase (1974 to March 2, 2022). Randomized clinical trials, cohort, cross-sectional, case-control, and animal studies were included. Two reviewers performed screening independently.
resultsEighty-four animal and human studies were included in the final analysis. Most studies reported on lipids (45), metabolic syndrome (38), and diabetes (30), with fewer on blood pressure (18), atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (11), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP, 5), and non-atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (4). Fifteen different helminth infections were represented. On average, helminth-infected participants had less dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Eleven studies examined anthelmintic treatment, of which 9 (82%) reported post-treatment increases in dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes or glucose levels. Results from animal and human studies were generally consistent. No consistent effects of helminth infections on blood pressure, hsCRP, or cardiac function were reported except some trends towards association of schistosome infection with lower blood pressure. The vast majority of evidence linking helminth infections to lower cardiometabolic diseases was reported in those with schistosome infections.
conclusionsHelminth infections may offer protection against dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. This protection may lessen after anthelmintic treatment. Our findings highlight the need for mechanistic trials to determine the pathways linking helminth infections with cardiometabolic diseases. Such studies could have implications for helminth eradication campaigns and could generate new strategies to address the global challenge of cardiometabolic diseases.
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