Association between Cesarean section delivery and increased risk of childhood Kawasaki disease

Abstract

Aim: Cesarean section delivery is associated with microbiota disruption and immuno-dysregulation during childhood, but the association with Kawasaki disease remains uncertain. We aimed to evaluate the association between Cesarean section and Kawasaki disease. Methods: We examined the association between Kawasaki disease between six and eighteen months and Cesarean section within a birth cohort of 15,796 mother-infant pairs in Taiwan. The associations were assessed with Poisson regression in the study population, in the 1:2 propensity score-matched subpopulation, and compared with febrile convulsion, trauma and accidents during the same interval as negative control outcomes. Results: Cesarean section was found to increase the risk of Kawasaki disease among overall population (adjusted relative risk [aRR]: 2.22, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.14–4.34) and the matched subpopulation (aRR: 2.29, 95 % CI: 1.14–4.68 in PS-matched subpopulation). Meanwhile, there was no association between Cesarean section and the clinic visits for febrile convulsion, trauma and accidents. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study identified a potential association between Cesarean section delivery and a higher risk of Kawasaki disease during six-to eighteen months of the prospective birth cohort in Taiwan.

Keywords

• Cesarean section
• Kawasaki disease
• Population-based cohort study
• Epidemiology