Necrotizing enterocolitis common in third week after birth among very preterm, low birthweight infants

The main objective of the present study was to review the Age of onset of Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) and focal intestinal perforation (FIP) in very preterm (≤32 weeks) and very low birth weight (VLBW, ≤1500 g) infants.

In this study, the databases used were MEDLINE/ PubMed, Embase, CINAHL and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials.

Researchers extracted the Age of onset as a day of life (DOL) and corrected gestational Age (CGA) alongside study information.

The key results of this study are:

· Total of 747 studies were screened, and 188 were eligible

· After eliminating duplicate and ineligible studies,10 RCTs and 14 observational studies were left.

· This contributed to 51 NEC cohorts; 49 reported onset DOL and 14 CGA.

· 2984 cases of Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) had average DOL onset of 16.7 and CGA onset of 30.1 weeks.

· There was no impact of Gestation on DOL onset.

· Demographic features were not known to impact  Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) onset.

Concluding further, they said the Average onset of Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) in exclusively very preterm/very low birth weight infants is in the third week of life and, unlike in cohorts, including more mature or heavier infants, is not impacted by birth gestation.

Given its importance to neonatal medicine, standardised reporting for all studies where NEC is a primary or secondary outcome would improve mechanistic and trial understanding.

Further reading:

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/7/e070638.long