Obstet Gynecol Sci.  2019 Jan;62(1):11-18. 10.5468/ogs.2019.62.1.11.

Cesarean section does not increase the prevalence of allergic disease within 3 years of age in the offsprings

• Kim HI
• Nam S
• Park Y
• Jung YJ
• Kim HY
• Kim KW
• Sohn MH
• Kim YH
• Lee JH
• Hong SJ
• Kwon JY

• KMID: 2430925
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5468/ogs.2019.62.1.11

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of allergic disease in offsprings delivered via the delivery modes of vaginal delivery vs. planned Cesarean section vs. Cesarean section with labor.
METHODS
This study included 175 mother-neonate pairs from Severance Hospital who were enrolled in the Cohort for Childhood Origin of Asthma and allergic diseases study. Information regarding prenatal environmental factors, delivery, and diagnosis of allergic diseases was obtained from a questionnaire and medical record review. Patients with at least 3 years of follow-up data were included in this study. Results were adjusted for sex, birth weight, gestational age at birth, season of birth, neonatal intensive care unit admission, parity, breastfeeding, and maternal factors.
RESULTS
A total of 175 offsprings were eligible for analysis. Among the subjects, 52.0% were delivered by vaginal delivery, 34.3% by planned Cesarean section, and 16.6% by Cesarean section with labor. Fifty-nine offsprings (33.7%) were diagnosed with allergic disease at a median age of 1 year (range 0.5-3 years). The prevalence of allergic disease was not associated with delivery mode after adjusting for confounding variables. Time period from membrane rupture to delivery, duration of the active phase, and the beginning of the pelvic division prior to Cesarean section were not associated with allergic disease development in offsprings.
CONCLUSION
Cesarean section, irrespective of the occurrence of labor before surgery, did not increase the prevalence of allergic disease in infants up to 3 years of age.

Keyword

Allergic disease; Infant; Cesarean section; Labor

MeSH Terms

Asthma
Birth Weight
Breast Feeding
Cesarean Section*
Cohort Studies
Confounding Factors (Epidemiology)
Diagnosis
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Gestational Age
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Intensive Care, Neonatal
Medical Records
Membranes
Parity
Parturition
Pregnancy
Prevalence*
Rupture
Seasons

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