Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Its Predictors Among Preterm Neonates Admitted in Neonatal Intensive Care Units of Gurage Zone Public Hospitals, Southwest Ethiopia, 2021

Abstract

Background Necrotizing Enter colitis (NEC) is the most common multifactorial and devastating gastrointestinal emergency which primarily affects premature infants. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of Necrotizing Enterocolitis and its associated factors among preterm neonates admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Gurage Zone hospitals. Methods Institution-based cross-sectional study design was employed. The simple Random Sampling Technique was applied to collect the data using a structured questionnaire. Data were cleaned, checked for inconsistencies, coded and entered via EPI data 3.1, and exported to Stata version 14 for further analysis. The data were processed by Stata 14 to estimate the prevalence of necrotizing enterocolitis. Results The prevalence of Necrotizing Enterocolitis among neonates was 28 (9.7%) 95% CI of 6. 8–13.7%. Birth weight (AOR: 7.33 95% CI (2.04: 26.38)), presence of maternal infection (AOR: 6.09, 95% CI (1.31:28.26)), length of hospital stay (AOR: 3.28, 95% CI (1.20, 8.96)), and initiating trophic feeding (AOR: 5.89, 95% CI (2.27: 15.33)) were associated with neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis. Conclusion The prevalence of Necrotizing Enterocolitis among preterm neonates was significant and special attention is needed for premature neonates with low birth weight and born from mothers with infection during pregnancy. Minimizing the length of hospital stay will be very useful to prevent the occurrence of Necrotizing Enterocolitis.

Risk factors of necrotizing enterocolitis among neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at the selected public hospitals in southern Ethiopia, 2023

“…The odds of having necrotizing enterocolitis were 3.3 times more likely in neonates who stay at the hospital for more than 7 days than in newborns who stay at the hospital for ≤ 7 days. A similar finding was also reported in Ethiopia ( 14 ) and Iran ( 46 ). This could be related to the possibility of developing nosocomial infection while staying in the hospital for an extended period.…”

“…Necrotizing enterocolitis is a surgical disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that manifests clinically as abdominal distention, abdominal wall erythema, feeding intolerance, vomiting, and blood in the stool in neonates. Radiologically, it is identified by the presence of dilated bowel loops, bowel wall edema, pneumatosis intestinalis, portal venous gas, and pneumoperitoneum ( 14 , 26 ).…”

“…The studies conducted in the United States revealed that the incidence rate of NEC was 7%–10.7% ( 10 , 11 ). Studies revealed that the prevalence rate of NEC was 4.87% in China ( 12 ), 25.4% in Addis Ababa ( 13 ), and 9.7% in Gurage ( 14 ). A study conducted in Indonesia found that 10% of full-term newborns had NEC ( 15 ).…”