Children delivered through the means of several modern medical childbirth interventions appear to be at greater risk for developing childhood asthma than other children, according to researchers in Finland.

The researchers from the National Public Health Institute in Kuopio, Finland note that "Studies have shown that perinatal factors are associated with childhood asthma."

To investigate the relationship of intervention with asthma, researchers examined obstetric complications and the incidence of asthma at the age of 7 years in a group of 8088 Finnish children, followed since birth.

Children whose birth was accompanied by special obstetric procedures were at greater risk of asthma. The procedures linked to the increasedrisk were:

• Cesarean Section - 38% Increase

• Vacuum Extraction - 32% Increase

• Forceps Delivery - 114% Increase

In addition, children with low Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes after birth were at greater risk of later asthma compared to those with an Apgar score of 9-10. Apgar scores are used to gauge the condition of a newborn, and values are assigned to characteristics such as heart rate, skin color, and muscle tone.

The authors conclude that "Results indicated that obstetric complications were associated with a higher risk of asthma among children. The results encourage further evaluation of the association between obstetric complications and risk of asthma among children in other populations."

Journal of Asthma 2000;37:589-594

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Avoidance of medical interventions during childbirth is of the utmost importance. While it is not possible to avoid these procedures such as c-sections in all cases, proper education and training on the part of both healthcare practitioners and expectant mothers (and fathers), could likely reduce c-sections down to about 5% or so from the current rate of over 20%. The same goes for the other interventions as well. In addition, the use of labor assistants or doulas has been shown in numerous studies to reduce the need for these procedures. Related Articles: Doulas Improve the Health of Both Mother and Baby Infections Protect Babies Against Asthma Non-Breast Milk In Infancy Increases Asthma Risk Natural Birthing Options: Technology in Birth - First Do No Harm Cesarean Births at 22% and Rising Modern Birth Centers Find Alternative Birth Methods Safe and Effective