Affiliation:
1. Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma,Italy
2. Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University, Naples,Italy
Abstract
Necrotizing enterocolitis is one of the most frequent and severe gastrointestinal diseases
that affect preterm newborns in Neonatal Intensive Care Units. It was firstly described in 1960s,
but this clinical entity was not widely recognized until the advent of modern neonatal intensive
care. The disease is characterized by submucosal edema, infiltration of intestinal wall by immune
cells, specifically neutrophils and, in severe forms, wall necrosis that leads to intestinal perforation.
Its incidence is inversely associated to birth weight and gestational age. Necrotizing enterocolitis
has been responsible for high rates of morbidity and mortality (15-30%), despite improvements
made in neonatal care in the last decades. The challenge is to optimize strategies for early diagnosis,
define the best medical and surgical treatments and standardize preventive measures. Several
biomarkers have been proposed for the early prediction of necrotizing enterocolitis onset in
preterm newborns and can be useful not only for diagnostic purposes but also for prediction of disease
progression and severity. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the most recent evidence regarding
the diagnosis and prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis. This manuscript contributes to
clinical decision-making in preterm neonates at high risk of developing necrotizing enterocolitis.
Publisher
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Subject
Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health
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