Perinatal factors during delivery might modulate fetal immunological development and thereby be associated with the development of allergic diseases and asthma later.
Perinatal data was recorded during pregnancy and at the time of delivery in regard to 5823 children who were born in Northern Finland in 1985-1986. Data from self-administered questionnaires were available at the ages of 7 and 15-16 years and skin prick tests for four main allergens were carried out at the age of 15-16 years. Only singletons delivered by the vaginal route were analyzed.
There was a higher prevalence of doctor-diagnosed asthma at any time of life among children who were delivered by vacuum extraction (RR 1.80, 95% CI 1.27-2.56; P