Prevalence of Allergic Diseases in Children according to Mode of Delivery.
10.7581/pard.2011.21.3.197
- Author:
Yong Ju LEE
1
;
Hye Mi JEE
;
Byoung Ju KIM
;
Hyo Bin KIM
;
Jinho YU
;
So Yeon LEE
;
Woo Kyung KIM
;
Myung Hyun SOHN
;
Kyu Earn KIM
;
Soo Jong HONG
;
Kyung Won KIM
Author Information
1. Department of Pediatrics, Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Caesarean section;
Mode of delivery;
Children;
Asthma;
Allergic rhinitis;
Atopic dermatitis
- MeSH:
Asthma;
Cesarean Section;
Child;
Dermatitis, Atopic;
Eczema;
Female;
Humans;
Hypersensitivity;
Korea;
Pregnancy;
Prevalence;
Surveys and Questionnaires;
Rhinitis;
Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial;
Risk Factors
- From:Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Disease
2011;21(3):197-206
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: It has been suggested that caesarean section is a risk factor for allergic diseases under the 'hygiene hypothesis', but it remains controversial. In this study, we examined the association between mode of delivery and development of allergic diseases. METHODS: The Korean International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire was used to survey 8,404 elementary and middle-school students in Seoul between April and October 2008. We categorized children into a caesarean section group and a vaginal delivery group, and surveyed the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis. RESULTS: No differences in the prevalence of "wheeze ever" (P=0.418), "wheezing the last 12 months" (P=0.152), and "diagnosis of asthma ever" (P=0.382) were observed between the caesarean section group and the vaginal delivery group. The prevalence of "rhinitis ever" (P=0.609), "rhinitis the last 12 months" (P=0.788), and "diagnosis of allergic rhinitis ever" (P=0.700) was also similar between the two groups. The prevalence of "itchy eczema ever" (P=0.065), "itchy eczema last 12 months" (P=0.381), and a "diagnosis of atopic dermatitis ever" (P=0.162) also did not show any differences between the two groups. However, in subjects with a family history of allergic disease, the caesarean section group had the higher prevalence of "diagnosis of asthma ever" (11.3% vs. 9.2%, P=0.032) than that in the vaginal delivery group. CONCLUSION: We found an association between mode of delivery and the subsequent development of asthma in children with a family history of allergic disease in Seoul, Korea.
