Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Very Low Birth Weight Infants: A Systemic Review

Abstract

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common serious gastrointestinal disorder affecting very preterm or very low birth weight infants. The risk is inversely proportional to gestational age and weight at birth. Fetal growth restriction and compromise may be additional specific risk factors. Despite extensive research and animal studies etiopathogenesis, preventive strategies and management options remain controversial. The present paper reviews the literature for recent advances and newer insights for changing epidemiological trends, pathogenesis, role of inflammatory cytokines, and various preventive and management strategies.

Gut colonization by aerobic microorganisms is associated with route and type of nutrition in premature neonates

“…Previous studies have shown that in addition to preterm birth [35] and inappropriate initial microbial colonization [36], specifically by Enterobacteriaceae [37], enteral feeding may be a risk factor for NEC when associated with a rapid advancement of volume or high osmotic strength formula feeding [35,37]. Other studies have contradicted these results, and early enteral feeding has been suggested to decrease the risk of NEC [38].…”

“…In this study, which examined a limited number of NEC cases (n = 15), we did not observe an association between the feeding regimen and NEC, although numerically, most NEC cases (n = 7) occurred in the TPN group. Notably, patients with known risk factors for NEC (eg, low GA and BW) also predominated in the TPN group [35].…”

Searching for Causes of Necrotising Enterocolitis. An Application of Propensity Matching

“…Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) is a gastrointestinal disease that afflicts mainly preterm-born infants with low birthweight (Neu and Walker, 2011;Patel and Shah, 2012). The aetiology of the disease is poorly understood because preterm births are infrequent (about 10% of all births, World Health Organization, 2011) and the disease is rare even in the highest-risk subpopulation of extreme preterm-born infants (incidence up to 10%).…”

Impact of Early-Life Microbiota on the Development of Infants

“…В качестве пробиотиков наиболее широко используют микроорганизмы из семейства Bifidobacterium, так как они обеспечивают колонизационную устойчивость кишечника по отношению к патогенным бактериям [38].…”