Is elective cesarean section associated with a higher risk of asthma? A meta-analysis

AbstractBackground: Recent meta-analyses indicate that children delivered by cesarean section have increased risk for asthma. However, the studies included in these previous meta-analyses showed significant heterogeneity. Furthermore, no previous meta-analysis has distinguished the association of elective and emergency CS, spontaneous and instrumental vaginal deliveries (VD) with the odds of asthma. Objective: To examine the association between specific mode of delivery and the prevalence of asthma. Methods: PUBMED, Google Scholar, EMBASE, and MEDLINE were searched to identify relevant studies. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated from the prevalence of asthma in children born by elective CS, emergent CS, instrumental VD and spontaneous VD. Meta-analysis was then used to derive a combined OR. Heterogeneity between studies was also tested in the findings. Results: A total of 26 studies were identified. The overall meta-analysis revealed an increase in the risk of asthma in child...