Associated risk factors
Smoking status, existing health conditions such as diabetes, age, or
skin closure techniques were not found to contribute to an increased
risk of infection in this study. This is in contrast to other research
which has found significant relationships for smoking and delayed wound
healing, 42 diabetes 28, 43, 44 and
skin closure techniques. 45 Indeed Henman et
al. 28 found age was not associated with SSI in CS,
however, other evidence suggests that up to the age of 65 years, there
is an increased risk of SSI more generally, 46possibly due to an impaired immune system. 47 An
increase in age-related comorbidities could also increase the risk of
developing an SSI following emergency CS. 48 One
possible reason for age being unrelated to SSI in this study is the
small age range within an already young sample. In addition, the risk
factor of diabetes has been identified in the literature as a risk
factor for SSI due to a reduction in the body’s immune response to
defending against microbes as well as impairing wound healing49 and it is likely that hyperglycaemia, hypoxia and
chronic inflammation all playing a role in interrupting the different
crucial stages of wound healing. 50