Association between caesarean delivery and gastrointestinal symptoms, atopic dermatitis, and sensitisation in infants exclusively breast fed for four months
| Caesarean section | Yes versus no; | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | odds ratio (95% CI‡) | ||||
| n/N | % | n/N | % | Crude | Adjusted† | |
| *Diarrhoea that did not accompany flu-like disease or other infection. | ||||||
| ‡CI, confidence interval. | ||||||
| †Odds ratio adjusted for: 1sex, parental history of allergy, birth order, pets in household; 2sex, parental history of allergy, birth order, pets in household, age mother at birth >30 years; 3sex, family history of atopic dermatitis, birth order, pets in household. | ||||||
| §RAST class 1: alpha-lactalbumin f76 and/or beta-lactglobulin f77 and/or casein f78. | ||||||
| ¶RAST class 1: alpha-lactalbumin f76 and/or beta-lactglobulin f77 and/or casein f78 and/or soy bean f1 and/or hen’s egg f14. | ||||||
| Any colicky abdominal pain | ||||||
| ⩽1 month | 41/146 | 28.2 | 246/713 | 34.5 | 0.74 | 0.72 (0.48 to 1.1)†1 |
| ⩽4 months | 63/147 | 42.9 | 311/717 | 43.4 | 0.98 | 0.98 (0.68 to 1.4)†1 |
| Any diarrhoea | ||||||
| ⩽1 month | 5/145 | 3.5 | 10/714 | 1.4 | 2.51 | 2.90 (0.93 to 9.0)†2 |
| ⩽4 months | 22/147 | 15.0 | 80/716 | 11.2 | 1.40 | 1.41 (0.84 to 2.4)†2 |
| ⩽12 months | 84/147 | 57.1 | 347/713 | 48.7 | 1.41 | 1.46 (1.02 to 2.1)†2 |
| Bloody/mucous diarrhoea | ||||||
| ⩽1 month | 0 | – | 0 | – | – | – |
| ⩽4 months | 10/145 | 6.9 | 27/715 | 3.8 | 1.89 | 1.81 (0.85 to 3.9)†2 |
| ⩽12 months | 25/145 | 17.2 | 84/706 | 11.9 | 1.54 | 1.53 (0.93 to 2.5)†2 |
| Non-concomitant diarrhoea* | ||||||
| ⩽1 month | 4/144 | 2.8 | 8/714 | 1.1 | 2.52 | 2.78 (0.79 to 9.8)†2 |
| ⩽4 months | 14/145 | 9.7 | 36/715 | 5.0 | 2.02 | 1.95 (1.01 to 3.8)†2 |
| ⩽12 months | 31/145 | 21.4 | 118/707 | 16.7 | 1.36 | 1.34 (0.85 to 2.1)†2 |
| Atopic dermatitis ⩽12 months | 13/147 | 8.8 | 69/716 | 9.6 | 0.91 | 1.06 (0.56 to 2.0)†3 |
| Sensitisation at 12 months | ||||||
| Any major cows’ milk allergen§ | 9/105 | 8.6 | 22/522 | 4.2 | 2.13 | 2.22 (0.97 to 5.1)†1 |
| Any of 5 nutritional allergens¶ | 18/104 | 17.3 | 48/520 | 9.2 | 2.06 | 2.06 (1.12 to 3.8)†1 |