Lifestyle Caesarean babies more likely to develop diabetes
By Ben Wasserman
Aug 26, 2008 - 7:37:47 AM
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Credit: wikipedia
TUESDAY August 26, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- Caesarean
section may increase type 1 diabetes in the childhood of babies who were
delivered by the procedure, according to a study led by researchers at Queen's
University Belfast.
The study showed babies delivered by Caesarean section
were 20 percent more likely to develop type 1 diabetes in childhood than those
who were delivered naturally.
The finding was based on a review of 20 published studies
from 16 countries involving about 10,000 children with type 1 diabetes and over
one million control children.
Dr Chris Cardwell and Dr Chris Patterson, study authors,
from the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, said the
increased risk could not be explained by diabetes factors such as birth weight,
the age of the mother, order of birth, gestational diabetes and whether the
baby was breast-fed or not.
Dr Cardwell said: "It is important to stress that
the reason for this is still not understood. It is possible that children born
by Caesarean section differ from other children with respect to some unknown
characteristic which consequently increases their risk of diabetes, but it is
also possible that Caesarean section itself is responsible."
Dr. Cardwell explained that one theory is that caesarean
section may affect the development of the immune system because of exposure to
hospital-borne bacteria rather than to maternal bacteria.
Type 1 diabetes also known as juvenile diabetes is a form
of diabetes mellitus. The autoimmune disease results in the permanent
destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas.
Diabetes is a serious condition that can lead to fatal
complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and
amputations.
An estimated 20 million
Americans suffer diabetes with most type 2 diabetes.
Caesarean section is not uncommon in the U.S.
Up to 30 percent of babies in the country are
delivered by C-section, according to Wikipedia.
The World Health Organization recommends the rate should be controlled below
15 percent.
Risks associated with this procedure were well
documented. Below is some information on C-section risks cited from the online
free encyclopedia.
Statistics from the 1990s suggest that less than one
woman in 2,500 who has a caesarean section will die, compared to a rate of one
in 10,000 for a vaginal delivery.[9] However the mortality rate for both
continues to drop steadily. The UK National Health Service gives the risk of
death for the mother as three times that of a vaginal birth.[10] However, it is
misleading to directly compare the mortality rates of vaginal and caesarean
deliveries. Women with severe medical disease often require a caesarean section
which can distort the mortality figures.
A study published in the 13 February 2007 issue of the
Canadian Medical Association Journal found that women that have planned
caesareans had an overall rate of severe morbidity of 27.3 per 1000 deliveries
compared to an overall rate of severe morbidity of 9.0 per 1000 planned vaginal
deliveries. The planned caesarean group had increased risks of cardiac arrest,
wound haematoma, hysterectomy (alt PPH - Post Pregnancy Hysterectomy), major
puerperal infection, anaesthetic complications, venous thromboembolism, and
haemorrhage requiring hysterectomy over those suffered by the planned vaginal
delivery group. [11] Again, these figures can be significantly distorted given
that women with severe health conditions are more likely to preschedule births
by caesarean.
A study published in the February 2007 issue of the
journal Obstetrics and Gynecology found that women who had just one previous
caesarean section were more likely to have problems with their second birth.
Women who delivered their first child by caesarean delivery had increased risks
for malpresentation, placenta previa, antepartum hemorrhage, placenta accreta,
prolonged labor, uterine rupture, preterm birth, low birth weight, and
stillbirth in their second delivery.[12]
A study published in the June 2006 issue of the journal
Obstetrics and Gynecology found that women who had multiple caesarean sections
were more likely to have problems with later pregnancies, and recommended that
women who want larger families should not seek caesarean section as an
elective. The risk of placenta accreta, a potentially life-threatening
condition, is only 0.13% after two c-sections but increases to 2.13% after four
and then to 6.74% after six or more surgeries. Along with this is a similar
rise in the risk of emergency hysterectomies at delivery. The findings were based
on outcomes from 30,132 caesarean deliveries.[13] (see also review by
WebMD.com)
A caesarean section is a major operation, with all that
it entails, including the risk of post-operative adhesions. Pain at the
incision can be intense, and full recovery of mobility can take several weeks
or more. A prior caesarean section increases the risk of uterine rupture during
subsequent labour.
If a caesarean is performed under emergency situations,
the risk of the surgery may be increased due to a number of factors. The
patient's stomach may not be empty, increasing the anesthesia risk.[14]