Babies born via caesarean were no more likely to develop allergies than babies born vaginally, a study by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) has shown.
Published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood journal, the research found only a small link between caesarean delivery and asthma.
Professor Melissa Wake, who lead the study with Dr Rachel Peters, said previous data from the 1990s suggesting a link between caesarean delivery and childhood allergic diseases such as eczema, asthma and poor lung function had warranted further examination.
“Scientists are racing to find out what’s behind the epidemic of allergy affecting our kids,” she said.
“One possibility is caesarean delivery, because rates of allergy and caesarean have rocketed up together since the 1990s.
“It’s plausible, because a healthy start to a good immune system includes a baby’s exposure to the mother’s microbiome – bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses that live on and inside the body – during a normal delivery.”
Dr Peters explained both caesareans and childhood allergies have increased significantly.
“The global caesarean rate is higher than 20 per cent, and North America, East Asia and the Pacific regions, including Australia, all now have caesarean rates around 30 per cent. At the same time, rates of asthma and eczema in children aged 6-7 years globally are 12 per cent and 8 per cent respectively, with higher prevalence reported in Australia (20 per cent and 17 per cent)” Dr Peters said.
“Our study gives parents confidence that if they want or need to have a caesarean birth, their child is unlikely to be at higher risk of having eczema and poor lung function than children delivered vaginally,” Dr Peters said.
“And only a possible small risk of developing asthma.”
