Babies Delivered Via C-Section May Be At Increased Risk Of Chronic Illness

Statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that about 33 percent of American women gave birth via cesarean section, or c-section, in 2011 alone; this is when the baby is delivered through a surgical incision in the mother's abdomen and uterus.

In certain circumstances, a c-section may be scheduled in advance to prepare for medical complications from the mother and/or baby or due to the position of the child. On the other hand, it can also be immediate in result of unforeseen complications.

However, new findings published in the British Medical Journal reveal that newborns delivered by C-section may be more likely to develop certain chronic diseases later in life.

While both cesarean and vaginal deliveries are linked to well-known acute risks, recent studies link cesarean sections to long-term child chronic conditions, including observational studies that assess the extent of the disease and look back on how the children were delivered. Furthermore, these included a prospectively randomized trial to undergo cesarean or vaginal delivery.

"It is clear that cesarean-born children have worse health, but further research is needed to establish whether it is the cesarean that causes disease, or whether other factors are at play," the researchers noted, in a news release. "Getting definitive answers will take many years of further research. In the interim, we must make decisions based on the evidence that we have. To me, that evidence says that it is reasonable to believe that cesarean has the potential for long-term adverse health consequences for children."

"It takes awhile for research findings to reach clinicians and patients," they concluded. "This research isn't widely known. It is time for that to change, so that doctors, midwives and patients can weigh the risks and benefits of elective cesarean, and decide accordingly."

Related Stories

Prenatal Exercises May Lower The Need For C-sections

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).