A new study claims that babies who are born by Caesarean have a higher risk of developing asthma.
A group of Dutch researchers monitored nearly 3,000 children of whom 250 had been delivered by Caesarean. According to the research, there was an 80 percent increased risk of asthma by the age of eight in the youngsters born by Caesarean compared to those children who had a vaginal birth.
It's believed that babies born naturally are exposed to microbes in the vagina and this boosts their immune system. Rates of asthma in western Europe have risen dramatically at the same time as the rates of Caesareans have increased. In the 1970s, only five percent of births were Caesareans – now the rate is one in four births.
The leader of the study, Dr Caroline Roduit, said:'The increased rate of Caesarean section is partly due to maternal demand without medical reason. In this situation the mother should be informed of the risk of asthma for her child, especially when the parents have a history of allergy of asthma.'
Incidentally, Britain has one of the worst rates of asthma in the world. About 5.2 million people in the UK, that's a massive 1 in 6, suffer from asthma. Around four people die every day from asthma, and another 200 people need hospital treatment every day for the condition.
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