Scheduled C segments associated with increased risk of developing child leukemia

Children born from the planned C section have an increased risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (all) later in life. This is evidenced by a study conducted by researchers at the Karolinska Institutet. Researchers point out that the risk remains low.

The study, published in The International Cancer MagazineIt covers nearly 2.5 million children born in Sweden during two periods, 1982 to 1989 and 1999 to 2015. Of these, 15.5 % were born from C-section, ie almost 376,000 children. Throughout the group, 1,495 children later developed leukemia.

Using the medical birth register, the researchers were able to divide the C segments into scheduled and emergency Caesarean sections. Children who later developed leukemia overrepresentation of the group born by the scheduled section C. Specifically, the risk of the most common form of childhood leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (all) increased. The risk of everyone was 21 % higher in children born from a planned C section compared to children born vaginal.

The risk of developing the most common form of all, acute lymphoblastic b-cell leukemia was 29 % higher in those born from scheduled C. The increased risk remained even when the researchers adapted to other related factors to mothers and children. The increased risk was more intense in boys than in girls and between younger children.

Researchers emphasize that the risk remains low, regardless of the way of delivery. Between 50 and 70 Swedish children per year they are diagnosed with B-All. The excessive risk associated with scheduled C departments corresponds to approximately one case B-all per year, according to the researchers behind the study.

Classes C are an important and often life -long part of obstetric care. We do not want mothers to feel anxious about medically indicated C. but when this result is combined with other results of the study that shows that the risk of later asthma, allergies or type 1 diabetes is increased in children born from a program of C.

Christina-Evmorfia Kampitsi, Researcher at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, and Head of Study Author

Researchers are discussing potential mechanisms that could explain why they are designed and not in emergency C departments that have an increased risk of certain diseases associated with immune factors. The reasoning is that the sections of the Caesarean Section of Emergency usually begin as a vaginal tradition. This causes stress for the baby and exposure to vaginal bacteria if the amniotic bag is broken.

However, in scheduled C segments, which are usually performed before work begins naturally, the baby does not experience this stress and is not exposed to vaginal bacteria. Researchers indicate that this difference can help explain the increased risk of everyone and believes that the study can help better understand what causes everything to children.

Some of the results did not reach the limit for statistical significance, which means that the probability cannot be completely excluded.

“Fortunately, everything is rare. That means it takes a lot of c-firms to achieve a statistically significant result and it is difficult to obtain such a large sample in a Swedish registry study.

The research is funded by the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Cancer Society.