Study Finds Cesarean Section Linked to Crohn’s Disease Later in Life

August 4, 2022

A study titled Delivery mode and risk of gastrointestinal disease in the offspring that followed over a million full-term babies found a possible connection between Cesarean section (also known as C-section) delivery mode and the development of Crohn’s disease later in life. Their analysis found no correlation between the delivery method and other gastrointestinal diseases, including ulcerative colitis and appendicitis.

The authors of the study speculate that the link between C-section and Crohn’s disease lies in the microbiome. They found that this association only occurred with elective C-sections, and not emergency ones where the infants may briefly encounter the mother’s vaginal bacteria during delivery.

C-section now accounts for approximately 20% of all births globally, underscoring the importance of studying the long-term effects of C-sections.

Citation for report:

Hellsing, C., Örtqvist, A. K., Hagel, E., Mesas-Burgos, C., Gustafsson, U. O., & Granström, A. L. (2022). Delivery mode and risk of gastrointestinal disease in the offspring. Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica, 101(10), 1146–1152. https://doi.org/10.1111/aogs.14427