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Caesarean babies more likely to have Type 1 diabetes
NEW research
reveals that mothers giving birth by Caesarean section have a 20%
higher risk of their baby developing Type 1 diabetes in childhood
compared to those having natural births, warns leading health
charity Diabetes UK.
The research examined 20 published studies on children with Type 1
diabetes born by Caesarean section and found that there was a 20%
increase in the risk of babies born by Caesarean section developing
Type 1 diabetes. This could not be explained by other factors such
as birth weight, the age of the mother, order of birth, gestational
diabetes and whether the baby was breast-fed or not. On
average 24% of pregnancies in England are delivered by Caesarean
section, which is significantly higher that the World Health
Organisation’s recommended rate of 15%.
Dr Iain Frame, Diabetes UK Director of Research, said:- “Not
all women have the choice of whether to have a Caesarean section or
not, but those who do may wish to take this risk into consideration
before choosing to give birth this way. We already know that
genetics and childhood infections play a vital role in the
development of Type 1 diabetes in children, but the findings of this
study indicate that the way a baby is delivered could affect how
likely it is to develop this condition later in life. Diabetes UK
would welcome more research in this area.”
Dr Chris Cardwell from Queen’s University Belfast led the research. He said:- “This study shows a consistent 20 per cent increase
in the risk of Type 1 diabetes. It is important to stress that the
reason for this is still not understood although it is possible that
the Caesarean section itself is responsible, perhaps because babies
born via that method are first exposed to bacteria originating from
the hospital environment rather than to maternal bacteria.
Type 1 diabetes in childhood has become much more prevalent across
Europe recently and the rate of this increase suggests that
environmental factors are the cause.
However, despite much
investigation, these actual factors remain largely unknown.”
Diabetes is a serious condition that, if not managed, can lead to
fatal complications including heart disease, stroke, kidney failure
and amputations.
There are 2.3 million people in the UK diagnosed
with diabetes and 250,000 with Type 1 diabetes.
For more information visit:-
diabetes.org.uk. |
Have a say on health and social care
A NEW umbrella
group is to be launched which will hold health and social care
organisations in Liverpool to account.
The city council’s Executive Board has selected LCVS (Liverpool
Charity and Voluntary Services) to run the city’s Local Involvement
Network, known as LINks. The job of LINks is to make sure
local residents, user groups and relevant organisations are involved
in the planning, delivery and scrutiny of local health and social
care services.
The organisation will look at everything ranging from proposed new
major hospital developments through to GP practices and council
services such as home care and day services. They will be
tasked with making sure the services commissioned are built around
the needs of local people, and also look at areas where they can be
improved. LINks will have a place on scrutiny and overview
panels such as the city council’s Health, Care and Safeguarding
Select Committee, and be able to make recommendations about how
services should be improved.
Councillor Ron Gould, executive member for health care, said:-
“We all use the NHS or some form of social care service at some
time in our lives, and it is vital local people are given an
opportunity to have a say about how they are shaped. This new
organisation will be the link between the local community and
commissioning organisations such as the council and the NHS. It will
act as a go-between to make sure we are delivering the very best
services. We face major challenges in Liverpool with high
mortality rates for diseases such as cancer and a growing elderly
population, so the work of this organisation will be vital in
helping us meet the needs of local people.”
A series of workshops and events were held earlier this year to find
out what organisations involved in the delivery of health and social
care and people who use the services want to see. This included NHS
and social care staff, service providers and community
organisations.
Graham Wright, Financial Manager at LCVS, said:- “LCVS is
delighted to be given this opportunity to host the LINks. We
are looking forward to working in partnership with LINk members and
the health and social care sectors, to improve health and quality of
life for people in Liverpool.”
LINks covers all health and social care issues within the Liverpool
city boundary, and replaces the Patient and Public Involvement
forums which focused solely on a particular NHS Trust. LCVS
was selected following a rigorous evaluation of tenders which
involved people who use social care services. |
