How can the presence of semicolons in while loops in PHP affect code execution and error handling?

The presence of semicolons in while loops in PHP can lead to unintended behavior such as infinite loops or syntax errors. To avoid this, ensure that the semicolon is not placed immediately after the while loop condition, as it will terminate the loop prematurely. Instead, use curly braces to define the loop body and ensure proper execution.

// Incorrect usage of semicolon in while loop
$i = 0;
while ($i < 5); {
    echo $i;
    $i++;
}

// Corrected while loop with curly braces
$i = 0;
while ($i < 5) {
    echo $i;
    $i++;
}