Children born via cesarean section may have a heightened risk of developing allergies, compared with children born vaginally. These findings are from a new study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Investigators followed 432 children from birth until age 9 years. At lease one of all the children’s parents had a history of allergies or asthma.

Children born via c-section were 2.1 times more likely to develop atopy and 1.8 times more likely to develop allergic rhinitis, compared with children born vaginally. However, there did not appear to be a link between birth method and asthma.

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology – August 2008;112:274-9.

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