AIM OF THE STUDY: The aetiology of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains poorly understood in infants of all gestation, particularly when it occurs at term. We hypothesize that NEC in term infants is rare but often associated with underlying congenital illnesses. METHOD: Records of all term infants hospitalized with radiologically or surgically proven NEC in the 10 tertiary centres of two geographical regions of Australia during a 6.5-y period were reviewed. Regional birth data were obtained and a special care nursery survey was conducted. RESULTS: Twenty-nine infants had proven NEC giving a population incidence of 0.05 per 1000 live births. Nineteen (66%) of them had underlying congenital diseases. Five (17%) infants had endocrine disorders, which included panhypopituitarism, hypothyroidism, hypoparathyroidism and congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Ten infants had congenital heart disease, eight being cyanotic. Six of them developed NEC prior to any invasive cardiac procedures. Seven of the other nine infants without any congenital diseases had perinatal risk factors associated with NEC. The severity of illness was not different amongst the three groups. All infants, except two, survived. CONCLUSION: NEC in term infants is commonly secondary to or preceded by underlying congenital diseases. A considerable proportion of NEC cases had co-existing endocrine illnesses.
AIM OF THE STUDY: The aetiology of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains poorly understood in infants of all gestation, particularly when it occurs at term. We hypothesize that NEC in term infants is rare but often associated with underlying congenital illnesses. METHOD: Records of all term infants hospitalized with radiologically or surgically proven NEC in the 10 tertiary centres of two geographical regions of Australia during a 6.5-y period were reviewed. Regional birth data were obtained and a special care nursery survey was conducted. RESULTS: Twenty-nine infants had proven NEC giving a population incidence of 0.05 per 1000 live births. Nineteen (66%) of them had underlying congenital diseases. Five (17%) infants had endocrine disorders, which included panhypopituitarism, hypothyroidism, hypoparathyroidism and congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Ten infants had congenital heart disease, eight being cyanotic. Six of them developed NEC prior to any invasive cardiac procedures. Seven of the other nine infants without any congenital diseases had perinatal risk factors associated with NEC. The severity of illness was not different amongst the three groups. All infants, except two, survived. CONCLUSION: NEC in term infants is commonly secondary to or preceded by underlying congenital diseases. A considerable proportion of NEC cases had co-existing endocrine illnesses.
Authors: Catherine J Hunter; Vijay K Singamsetty; Nikunj K Chokshi; Patricia Boyle; Victoria Camerini; Anatoly V Grishin; Jeffrey S Upperman; Henri R Ford; Nemani V Prasadarao Journal: J Infect Dis Date: 2008-08-15 Impact factor: 5.226
Authors: Sarah A Moore; Prashant Nighot; Cynthia Reyes; Manmeet Rawat; Jason McKee; David Lemon; Joshua Hanson; Thomas Y Ma Journal: J Pediatr Surg Date: 2016-09-15 Impact factor: 2.545
Authors: Scott S Short; Stephanie Papillon; Dror Berel; Henri R Ford; Philip K Frykman; Akemi Kawaguchi Journal: J Pediatr Surg Date: 2014-02-05 Impact factor: 2.545