Israeli researchers show link between anaesthesia during Caesarean and autism
Study by clinicians at Ben-Gurion University and doctors from Soroka University was published in the latest issue of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Israeli clinicians have shown that babies exposed to general anaesthesia during Caesarean section births are at higher risk of developing autism.
The study by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and doctors from Soroka University Medical Center was published in the latest issue of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
“We have known for many years that children born via ‘C-section’ are at higher risk of autism, but we weren’t able to quantify exactly why,” said Dr Idan Menashe, from BGU’s Department of Public Health and the Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience.
“Our research shows that exposure to general anaesthesia commonly used to perform a C-section, rather than the operation itself, is related to communication challenges later in life.
The Israeli team compared the births records of 350 children with autism and 2,000 controls. They found C-section births conducted with general anaesthesia increased the risk of autism, while those performed with epidural or spinal anaesthesia did not.
They further showed that the risk of autism associated with general anaesthesia is not related to the reason of the surgery, and that the type of autism shown in the link to general anaesthesia was the type of autism with the most severe symptoms.
Menashe said C-sections performed with other types of anaesthesia such as epidural or spinal sedation are “relatively safe”.
The Israeli study follows findings presented to the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases last month, that infants born through C-section have altered gut bacteria which leaves them more susceptible to respiratory disease in later life.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
