Table 1.

Adverse and beneficial effects of helminth infections.

Complications of Infections with Pathological Helminths	Complications in the Absence of Helminth Colonization (Commensal or Pathological)
• Iron deficiency anemia [65]	• Allergen skin sensitization [24,29,66]
• Vitamin B12 deficiency [67,68]	• Predisposal to IBD [43,63]
• Loeffler syndrome [69]	• Susceptibility to other immune-mediated diseases [22,66,70]
• Biliary and bowel obstruction [69]	• Predisposition to metabolic syndrome [59,60]
• Cancer ((cholangiocarcinoma) [71,72]; carcinoma of the bladder [73])	• Predisposition to type 2 diabetes mellitus [74]
• Hepatic fibrosis and portal hypertension [75]
• Other non-communible diseases [76]