Risk of childhood asthma by caesarean section is mediated through the early gut microbiome

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-11/uoc-roc111220.php

 

News Release 12-Nov-2020
University of Copenhagen

 

The prevalence of caesarean section has increased globally in recent decades. While the World Health Organisation suggests that the procedure should be performed in less than 15% of births to prevent morbidity and mortality, the prevalence is higher in most countries. Children born by caesarean section have an increased risk of developing asthma and other immune-mediated diseases compared to children born by vaginal delivery. A link between caesarean section and later disease has been suggested to be mediated through microbial effects.

For the first time, in a new study published in Science Translational Medicine, researchers from Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC), University of Copenhagen, Danish technical University and Rutgers University describe how delivery by caesarean section leads to a skewed gut microbiome and associates with asthma development in the first 6 years of life.


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