Planned C-Section Linked to Higher Child Leukaemia Risk

New Delhi, Jul 7 (PTI) Having a planned caesarean section could be linked to a higher risk of leukaemia, a type of blood cancer, in children later in life compared to an emergency C-section, a study has revealed.

During a C-section, a surgical incision is made in the mother's abdomen and uterus to deliver the baby. C-sections can either be scheduled in advance or become necessary due to emergencies during labour.

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet suggest that in an emergency C-section, which often starts as a vaginal delivery, the baby's exposure to vaginal bacteria might explain why planned C-sections are associated with an increased risk of certain diseases.

Lead author Christina-Evmorfia Kampitsi from Karolinska Institutet notes, "We don't want mothers to feel anxious about medically indicated C-sections. However, when considering that planned C-sections have been linked to higher risks of asthma, allergies, and type 1 diabetes, it opens a dialogue on non-medically indicated C-sections."

The study, published in The International Journal of Cancer, analyzed data on almost 2.5 million children born in Sweden between 1982-1989 and 1999-2015 from the Medical Birth Register.

Of these, over 375,000 children, or 15.5 percent, were delivered by C-section, with 1,495 later developing leukaemia, which affects the blood and bone marrow.

Children born via C-section had a seven percent higher probability of developing acute lymphoblastic leukaemia compared to those born vaginally.

Moreover, when comparing planned C-sections to emergency ones, planned C-sections were associated with a 21 percent higher risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, which is the most common childhood leukaemia.

"We observed an increased acute lymphoblastic leukaemia risk among children delivered by planned C-section (of 21 percent)," the researchers noted.

Emergency C-sections generally start as vaginal deliveries, which can place stress on the baby and expose them to vaginal bacteria if the amniotic sac has broken.

A foetus grows in an amniotic sac throughout pregnancy.

In contrast, planned C-sections are typically conducted before natural labour begins, meaning the baby does not go through this stress or encounter vaginal bacteria, according to the research team.

This variance in exposure to vaginal bacteria and related immunological factors might clarify the increased risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in planned C-sections over emergencies, the researchers concluded.

These findings contribute to the understanding of what might cause acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in children.