Emergency and elective cesarean section and selected elements of immunological system of full-term neonates

Abstract

Abstract Aim of study: To define a relationship between emergency and elective indications for cesarean section and quantitative changes of percentage and quantity of T and B lymphocytes and their subpopulations in healthy full-term neonates. Material and Methods: The study included 43 healthy neonates born in the years 1998 – 2003 in the Department of Perinatology and Gynecology of Silesian Medical University in Zabrze, Taking into account operative delivery, a group of 43 full-term neonates born by cesarean section were examined, including 25 neonates with elective indications [Ibe] and 18 with emergency indications (Ibn). Immunological studies included evaluation of the percentage of T and B lymphocytes and of their subpopulations in umbilical blood. Our study applied a method of umbilical blood sampling with the following red blood cells lysis. Results: The study showed that mean number of CD3+, CD23+, CD25+ lymphocytes and mean percentage and number of CD8+ lymphocytes in full-term neonates born by elective Cesarean was statistically significantly lower than in neonates born by emergency Cesarean section. No statistically significant differences were found in mean values of other parameters among the study groups. Conclusions: Cesarean section performed in a mother with emergency indications can favor an increase of mean quantity of T lymphocytes, cytotoxic – suppressor T lymphocytes, activated T lymphocytes, B CD23 lymphocytes in full-term neonates.