The risks of cesarean delivery to children .. a study
The authors of the study, published in the Australian journal PLOS Medical, found that cesarean deliveries prevent babies from being exposed to "good" bacteria in their mothers' birth corridors.
They indicated that these bacteria help to enhance the immune responses of newborns, and can also be transmitted after birth through breastfeeding, and through skin-to-skin contact early.
Despite the slight increase in the risk of early infection, researchers cautioned that cesarean deliveries could remain the safest option for some women and children.
"During a normal delivery, the child comes into contact with normal bacteria from the mother's intestine, but for children born by cesarean section they have much less exposure to these bacteria," explains the study author, obstetrician Lars Pedersen from Aarhus University in Denmark.
Pedersen said infection is the main reason for hospitalization in early childhood, and indicated that his new research should help him and his colleagues understand the cause.
Prior to the emergence of this study, it was not clear whether a cesarean delivery was associated with a higher risk of any infection or specific types only, and whether these risks may differ between emergency and antenatal caesarean section.
"Any measures to reduce infection rates will make a difference," said study co-author, epidemiologist Jessica Miller, from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Australia.
U can be measured and always in the general health of the population.
In the new study, Professor Pedersen, Dr. Miller and their colleagues analyzed data on 7.2 million births from Australia, Denmark, England and Scotland, nearly a quarter of which were Caesarean sections and 57% of them were emergency operations.
In total, the researchers found that about 1.5 million children in the study ended up in hospital with a serious infection before their fifth birthday.
"About 14,000 of these injuries can be attributed to an emergency caesarean delivery and 18,500 to an antenatal caesarean section," says Dr. Miller.
The study authors indicated that the increased risk of infection continued until children reached the age of five, and the highest incidence was respiratory and digestive infections and other viruses.
Overall, the scientific team said their findings indicate that cesarean deliveries have short and long-term health effects on children, including an increased risk of developing asthma, allergies, juvenile idiopathic arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.
The study concluded that "it will be important to verify whether similar results have been observed in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of injury to children is likely to be much greater."
