Univ. of Minnesota study finds link between C-sections, childhood leukemia
MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - A new study from the University of Minnesota found that children born by pre-labor cesarean sections have a 23 percent increase in risk of developing childhood leukemia.
Researchers looked at 33,571 subjects and found that while there was no statistically significant link between overall C-section deliveries and leukemia, there was a significant correlation between the disease and pre-labor C-sections.
The findings did not reveal why children born by pre-labor C-sections are at an increased risk of developing leukemia. However, some researchers suspect it may be because babies born by C-section do not experience the same stress response as babies born by vaginal delivery.
This is not the first time researchers have found a link between C-sections and child health outcomes. In November, a different study found a higher rate of illness, such as asthma, type 1 diabetes and irritable bowel syndrome, in children born by pre-labor C-sections compared to those born by emergency C-sections and vaginal deliveries.