Delivery via caesarean section (C-section) has been associated with an increased risk of childhood chronic diseases such as obesity and asthma, which may be due to underlying systemic inflammation. However, the impact of specific C-section types may be differential, as emergency C-sections typically involve partial labor and/or membrane rupture. Our objectives were to determine if mode of delivery associates with longitudinal profiles of high sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) —a marker of systemic inflammation—from birth through preadolescence, and to examine if CRP mediates the association between mode of delivery and preadolescent body mass index (BMI).
Data from the WHEALS birth cohort (
Two hs-CRP trajectory classes were identified: class 1 (76% of children) was characterized by low hs-CRP, while class 2 (24% of children) was characterized by high and steadily increasing hs-CRP. In multivariable models, children delivered via planned C-section had 1.15 times higher risk of being in hs-CRP class 2, compared to vaginal deliveries (
These findings suggest potentially beneficial effects of experiencing partial or full labor, leading to a lower trajectory of systemic inflammation throughout childhood and decreased BMI during preadolescence. These findings may have implications for chronic disease development later in life.