C-section Delivery, Early Antibiotic Treatment Linked To Eosinophilic Esophagitis In Children

 C-section delivery, early antibiotic treatment linked to eosinophilic esophagitis in childrenC-section delivery, early antibiotic treatment linked to eosinophilic esophagitis in childrenPublished on May 13, 2014 at 8:52 AM · No Comments

Eosinophilic Esophagitis, Or Eoe, Is An Emerging Allergic Disease, The Causes Of Which Remain Unclear.

Children delivered by cesarean section and those given antibiotics during early infancy appear more prone to developing allergic inflammation of the esophagus — the muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach — according to results of a study by investigators from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and Harvard Medical School.The findings, published online May 2 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology : In Practice, reveal that early antibiotic treatment and C-section delivery may somehow precipitate disease development by altering a child’s microbiota — the trillions of bacteria and other organisms residing in human intestines that regulate digestive health and immunity.Eosinophilic esophagitis, or EoE, is an emerging allergic disease, the causes of which remain unclear. While still relatively rare, EoE appears to be on the rise in both children and adults, research shows. The condition is marked by irritation, inflammation and constriction of the esophagus and by proliferation of eosinophils, or immune cells that multiply during allergic reactions. http://www.kunyit.my/hpv-a-growing-cause-of-upper-throat-cancer Because EoE’s cardinal symptoms — heartburn , swallowing difficulties and persistent burping — mimic garden-variety gastritis , biopsy of the esophagus remains the only definitive way to distinguish between the two disorders.“It is becoming increasingly clear that the early development and composition of our gut bacteria can influence immunity for life,” says study lead investigator Corinne Keet, M.D., Ph.D., a pediatric allergist at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. “Now, our findings suggest that delivery via C-section and early treatment with antibiotics also play an important role in this serious allergic disease.”Although more research is needed to understand the precise mechanism by which C-section birth and antibiotics lead to EoE, the researchers suspect these two factors precipitate serious shifts in the composition of a baby’s developing gut. Babies born via vaginal delivery are exposed to certain maternal bacteria as they pass through the birth canal. Those bacteria colonize the newborn’s gut and help build immunity. Children born via C-section, however, miss out on this vital initial exposure to bacteria, the researchers say, which may render their immune systems more sensitive to food and other generally harmless substances.
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