Department of Pediatrics, Division of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.
Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.
Front Immunol. 2022 Aug 31;13:941977. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.941977. eCollection 2022.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory diseases, cancers, diabetes, and neuropsychiatric diseases cause significant global morbidity and mortality which disproportionately affect those living in low resource regions including low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In order to reduce NCD morbidity and mortality in LMIC it is imperative to understand risk factors associated with the development of NCDs. Certain infections are known risk factors for many NCDs. Several parasitic helminth infections, which occur most commonly in LMICs, have been identified as potential drivers of NCDs in parasite-endemic regions. Though understudied, the impact of helminth infections on the development of NCDs is likely related to helminth-specific factors, including species, developmental stage and disease burden. Mechanical and chemical damage induced by the helminth in combination with pathologic host immune responses contribute to the long-term inflammation that increases risk for NCD development. Robust studies from animal models and human clinical trials are needed to understand the immunologic mechanisms of helminth-induced NCDs. Understanding the complex connection between helminths and NCDs will aid in targeted public health programs to reduce helminth-induced NCDs and reduce the high rates of morbidity that affects millions of people living in parasite-endemic, LMICs globally.
非传染性疾病（NCDs），如心血管疾病、慢性呼吸系统疾病、癌症、糖尿病和神经精神疾病，导致了全球大量的发病率和死亡率，而这些疾病的负担不成比例地影响了生活在资源匮乏地区的人，包括低收入和中等收入国家（LMICs）。为了降低 LMIC 中 NCD 的发病率和死亡率，了解与 NCD 发展相关的风险因素至关重要。某些感染是许多 NCD 的已知危险因素。几种寄生虫性蠕虫感染，这些感染在 LMIC 中最为常见，已被确定为寄生虫流行地区 NCD 的潜在驱动因素。尽管研究不足，但寄生虫感染对 NCD 发展的影响可能与寄生虫特异性因素有关，包括物种、发育阶段和疾病负担。寄生虫在体内引起的机械和化学损伤，加上病理性宿主免疫反应，导致长期炎症，增加了 NCD 发展的风险。需要从动物模型和人类临床试验中进行强有力的研究，以了解寄生虫引起的 NCD 的免疫机制。了解寄生虫与 NCD 之间的复杂联系将有助于针对公共卫生计划，以减少寄生虫引起的 NCD，并降低影响全球寄生虫流行的 LMIC 中数百万人的高发病率。
