Aim:
Currently, the prevalence of caesarean section (CS) has been increasing at an alarming rate across the world. In parallel with the increasing rate of CS, it is reported that there is an increasing prevalence of obesity, autoimmune and allergic diseases. The purpose of the present study is to analyse whether the cardiovascular system characteristics of young adults born by CS are different from those of young adults born by vaginal delivery (VD).
Materials and Methods:
A total of 112 participants were included in the study (40 CS group vs 82 VD ie control group). Transthoracic echocardiography and carotid Doppler ultrasonography were performed to the participants. In addition, participants were evaluated with a 24-hour ECG recording.
Results:
Tricuspid E wave, tricuspid A wave and tricuspid E/A ratio were lower in the CS group compared with the control group (57.6±8.6 vs. 72.4±10.3, p<0.001; 46.7±8.8 vs. 50.6±8.9, p=0.04; 1.2±0.14 vs 1.45±0.88, p<0.001). Epicardial fat tissue thickness were higher in the CS group compared with the control group (4.8±1.3 vs. 3.1±0.8, p<0.001).
Conclusion:
The results of this study show that cardiovascular system features of the young adults born by CS are different from those born by VD. Further follow-up studies are needed to understand whether these findings will subsequently result in cardiovascular diseases.
Keywords: Epicardial fat tissue, intima media thickness, heart rate variability, cesarean section