TEHRAN — German Professor Sibylle Koletzko says cesarean section (CS) delivery weakens kids’ immune system and increases chances of allergic disorders such as atopic dermatitis and asthma compared with babies who are born normally.

Unfortunately the rate of CS has increased in the UK, Germany and many other countries over the last years, Koletzko, an expert in gastroenterology, told the 23rd conference of pediatrics in Tehran on October 16.  

For example, Koletzko said, 30 percent of mothers have recently experienced CS in the UK.

Koletzko told the conference that she has done a research on two groups of babies: one group born through normal delivery, and the other group through CS. She said the subjects in the two groups showed immunologic differences. 

She added normally, about 100,000 milliards useful bacteria live in kids’ gut which form about 300 cubic meters of barrier against various pathogens.  

Babies’ guts are colonized by useful bacteria such as lactobacillus through normal delivery which decrease possibility of immune system disorders but those who are born abnormally by CS, receive mothers’ skin flora like staphylococcus that cannot enhance their immune system, the professor explained.

Professor Koletzko is the German representative investigator for a large intervention trial including newborns from families with celiac disease (funded by EU). Professor Koletzko is also a member of the celiac group for the long-term observational TEDDY study (funded by NIH), where 8000 children with a genetic risk for typ1 diabetes mellitus and celiac disease are followed until 15 years of age looking at environmental and nutritional risk factors. She has received several scientific awards for her research.