14 DAY TRIAL // According to a new study carried out by researchers working with the Henry Ford Hospital, babies delivered through Caesarian section are five times more likely to be affected by allergies than those born naturally are.
By the looks of it, the allergies these children are prone to develop prior to their reaching the age of two are caused by run-off-the-mill allergens found in most, if not all, households.
Thus, kids born by C-section are particularly susceptible to developing an allergy to dust mites, cats and dogs, the researchers who have pieced together this study explain.
In order to reach these conclusions linking Caesarian sections to an increased risk of allergic reactions, specialists took to closely monitoring a total of 1,258 newborns delivered between the years 2003-2007.
According to EurekAlert!, these babies were medically evaluated at four age intervals (i.e. one month, six months, one year and two years).
The information taken into consideration for this research had to do with the make-up of the kids' umbilical cord and stool, their mother's and father's blood, and the breast milk they ate.
Furthermore, information concerning household pets, households dust, tobacco smoke exposure and early medication use was given due consideration.
Commenting on the findings of this study, the Chair of Henry Ford Department of Health Sciences, Christine Cole Johnson, made a case of how, “This further advances the hygiene hypothesis that early childhood exposure to microorganisms affects the immune system's development and onset of allergies.”
“We believe a baby's exposure to bacteria in the birth canal is a major influencer on their immune system,” this specialist went on to add.
The findings of this research were presented this past Sunday during the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in San Antonio.
Funding for this study was provided by both the Henry Ford Hospital and the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.