Journal List > Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis > v.21(4) > 1033135

Kim: Is Mode of Delivery Associated with an Increased Risk for Childhood Asthma?

Abstract

Under the hygiene hypothesis, children born by cesarean section (CS) may consequently have an increased risk of asthma and other allergic diseases. CS has been shown to have a delayed and altered development in establishment of gut flora and altered cytokine production. Concerns about the relations between CS and the risk of children's asthma are rising due to the growing number of CS performed in many countries. However, finding the concrete evidence to correlate CS with higher risk of asthma is still controversial. There were significant covariate imbalance between groups of children born by CS vs. vaginal delivery that include the number of maternal age, gestational age, birth weight, complication during pregnancy, complication during labor, socioeconomic status, a parental history of atopy, and maternal smoking history. And there were considerable heterogeneity in methods and study subjects between the studies of delivery by CS and the offspring's risk of asthma and other allergic diseases. Therefore, as we proceed into the further study, researchers must refer to the literatures and look for the best way proving their hypothesis that are based on the methodological subject group. Of which should be accordance with the research purposes. Also, researchers have to search for identifying the core biological mechanism in order to know whether there is a causal relationship exists between the CS and asthma.

References

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Table 1.
Characteristics and Relative Risks of Selected Studies which Showed Cesarean Section is Associated with an Increased Risk for Asthma and Other Allergic Diseases46,47)
First author, year (reference number) Year of births Country Design Exclusion Ascertainment method Risk adjustment Asthma Other allergic disease
Magnus,1)2011 1999–2008 Norway Cohort No Parental questionnaire Basic+PaSmSe 1.17  
          (diagnosis)   (1.03–1.32)  
Tollånes,2)2008 1988–1998 Norway Cohort No Medical records (ICD code) Basic+PaSe 1.42 (1.25–1.61) P-CS  
              1.59  
              (1.44–1.75) E-CS  
Metsälä,38)2008 1996–2004 Finland Case-contro ol No Nationwide register Basic+PaSm 1.19  
          (medication)   (1.07–1.31) P-CS  
              1.39  
              (1.27–1.58) E-CS  
van Beijsterveldt,39)200 8 1991–2000 Nederland Cohort No Questionnaire Basic+Sm 1.59  
          (diagnosis)   (1.23–2.06) 1st twin  
              0.91  
              (0.69–1.19) 2nd twin  
Roduit,32)2009 1996–1997 Nederland Cohort No Parental questionnaire Basic+PaSmSe 1.79  
          (symptoms)   (1.27–2.51)  
Renz-Polster,31)2005 1990–1992 USA Cohort Yes Health maintenance Basic+SmSe 1.24 AR 1.37
          organization medical   (1.01–1.53) (1.14–1.63)
          records (diagnosis)     AD 0.9
                (0.70–1.16)
                FA 1.34
                (0.54–3.29)
Salam,34)2006 1975–1987 USA Cohort Yes Parental questionnaire Basic+PaSmSe 1.33 AR 1.57
          (diagnosis)   (1.01–1.75) (1.24–1.99)
                AD 1.07
                (0.67–1.70)
                FA 1.18
                (0.85–1.62)
Negele,28)2004 1997–1999 Europe Cohort Yes Parental questionnaire (diagnosis) PaSe 1.41 (1.02–1.96) RW AD 1.04 (0.79–1.39)
                FA 1.64
                (1.03–2.63)
                IA 1.75
                (0.98–3.12)
Vonk,40)2004 1975–1978 Nederland Cohort No Methacholine test No   IA 0.75
          (bronchial hyperactivity)     (0.39–1.44)§
Xu,36)2001 1966 Finland Cohort No Questionnaire (diagnosis) Basic+PaSmSe 3.23 (1.53–6.80) AR 1.28 (0.73–2.24)
                AD 1.19
                (0.62–2.28)
                FA 0.96
                (0.59–1.56)
Mckeever,24)2002 1988–1999 UK Cohort No Physician diagnosis   1.09 AR 1.01
              (1.01–1.18) (0.85–1.21)
                AD 1.04
                (0.98–1.10)
Bager,14)2003 1973–1977 Denmark Cohort No Interview (diagnosis) Basic 1.31 (1.01–1.71) AR 1.15 (0.90–1.48)
Gessner,17)2007 1990–2001 USA Cohort No Hospital clinic No 1.46  
          (ICD code)   (1.28–1.67)§  
              1.09  
              (1.00–1.18)§  
Smith,43)2004 1992–95 UK Cohort Yes Hospital admissions No 1.17  
          (ICD code)   (1.02–1.57)§  
Debley,16)2005 1987–1994 USA Case-contro ol No Hospital admissions Sm 1.20  
          (ICD code)   (1.04–1.39)  
Kero,21)2002 1987 Finland Cohort No 1) Hospital admissions an nd Basic 1.21  
          medications databases s (1.08–1.36)  
          (ICD code)      
          2) Clinical visit (diagnosis s)    
Håkansson,19)2003 1984–1996 Sweden Case-control Yes Hospital discharge records (ICD code) Basic+SmSe 1.35 (1.27–1.44)  
Annesi-Maesano,4)2001 1958 UK Cohort No Questionnaire Basic+PaSm 1.46  
          (symptoms)   (1.02–2.07)§ E-CS  
Xu,37)2000 1985–1986 Finland Cohort No Parental questionnaire Basic+Pa 1.38  
          (diagnosis)   (1.00–1.92)  

FA, food allergy; IA, inhalant allergen sensitization; AD, eczema/atopic dermatitis; AR, allergic rhinitis; NS, not significant; E-CS, emergency cesarean section; P-CS, planned cesarean section.

Exclusion of preterm delivery (37 weeks) or low birth weight (2,500 g).

Basic: Maternal age, prematurity (gestational age or birth weight), parity and birth order. Pa, parental allergy; Sm, smoking in pregnancy or ETS perinatal period; Se, socioeconomic status (household income, parental education, or social

§ Odds ratios or incidence rate ratios, and 95% confidence intervals were not presented in the article, but calculated for the previous

Not adjusted. class). study47) based on numbers of cases and controls extracted from the article.

Table 2.
Characteristics and Relative Risks of Selected Studies which Showed Cesarean Section is Not Associated with an Increased Risk for Asthma and Other Allergic Diseases46,47)
First author, year (reference number) Year of births Country Design Exclusion Ascertainment method Risk adjustment Asthma Other allergic disease
Menezes,25)2011 1993–2004 Brazil Cohort No Parental questionnaire (diagnosis) Basic+PaSmSe 1.16 (0.81–1.68) 1.18 (0.94–1.48) 1.02 (0.80–1.31)  
Rusconi,33)2007 1994–1995 Italy Cross-sectional No Parental questionnaire (symptoms) Basic+PaSmSe 0.97 (0.78–1.19)  
Maitra,23)2004 1991–1992 UK Cohort No Parental questionnaire (diagnosis) Basic+PaSmSe 1.14 (0.9–1.4) IA 1.04 (0.8–1.3)
Sugiyama,35)2007 2002–2003 Japan Cohort Yes Physician diagnosis No   AD 0.77 (0.22–2.73)
Bernsen,41)2005 1988–1990 Nederland Cohort No Medical records (diagnosis) Basic+PaSe 1.03 (0.51–2.08) AD 0.94 (0.26–3.33)
Nafstad,27)2000 1992–1993 Norway Cohort Yes Questionnaire (diagnosis and symptoms) No 1.1 (0.7–1.8) AR 1.2 (0.7–2.1)
Montgomery,26)2000 1970 UK Cohort No Medical records (diagnosis) Basic+PaSe   AR 1.21 (0.84–1.74)
Calvani,15)2004 1991–98 Italy Case-control No Parental questionnaire (diagnosis) No 0.78 (0.58–1.06)  
Juhn,20)2005 1976–1982 USA Cohort No Medical records (diagnosis or symptoms) Se 0.93 (0.6–1.4)  
Olivetti,29)1996 1983–1989 USA Case-control No Hospital clinic (diagnosis and medication) No 1.09 (0.62–1.91)  
Werner,42)2007 1984–1987 Denmark Cohort Yes Parental questionnaire (diagnosis) SmSe 1.11 (0.88–1.39)  
Benn,44)2002 1992–1994 Denmark Cohort No Hospital clinic (medication) Sm 1.2 (0.3–4.3)  
Al-Kubaisy,13)2005 1988–1996 Iraq Case-control No Questionnaire (diagnosis and medication) No (0.3–4.3) 0.92 (0.64–1.34)  
Hagendorens,18)2005 1997–2001 Nederland Cohort No Parental questionnaire (symptoms) PaSmSe 1.31 (0.80–2.13)  
Park,30)2010 Around 2003 Korea Cross-sectional No Medical records (diagnosis) Basic+PaSm 0.76 (0.37–1.57) AR 1.14 (0.61–2.10) AD 1.01 (0.59–1.71)
Lee,45)2011 Around 1997 Korea Cross-sectional No Parental questionnaire (diagnosis and symptoms) Basic+PaSmSe NS AR NS AD NS
Kim,22)2011 1976–1979 USA Cohort No Medical records (diagnosis or symptoms) Basic+PaSmSe NS  

FA, food allergy; IA, inhalant allergen sensitization; AD, eczema/atopic dermatitis; AR, allergic rhinitis; NS, not significant; E-CS, emergency cesarean section; P-CS, planned cesarean section.

Exclusion of preterm delivery (37 weeks) or low birth weight (2,500 g).

Basic: Maternal age, prematurity (gestational age or birth weight), parity and ˂ ˂ birth order. Pa, parental allergy; Sm, smoking in pregnancy or ETS perinatal period; Se, socioeconomic status (household income, parental education, or social

Odds ratios or incidence rate ratios, and 95% confidence intervals were not presented in the article, but calculated for the previous study47) based class). on numbers of cases and controls extracted from the article.

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