Historias Clinicas

International Scholarly Research Network ISRN Gastroenterology Volume 2012, Article ID 562594, 7 pages doi:10.5402/2012/562594

Review Article Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Very Low Birth WeightInfants: A Systemic Review
Bhoomika K. Patel and Jigna S. Shah
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Shri Sarvajanik Pharmacy College, Near Arvind Baug, Gujarat, Mehsana 384001, India Correspondence shouldbe addressed to Jigna S. Shah, jignashah74@yahoo.com Received 18 April 2012; Accepted 19 June 2012 Academic Editors: C.-Y. Chen and C. Sperti Copyright © 2012 B. K. Patel and J. S. Shah. This is anopen access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properlycited. 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 andweight at birth. Fetal growth restriction and compromise may be additional specific risk factors. Despite extensive research and animal studies etiopathogenesis, preventive strategies and managementoptions remain controversial. The present paper reviews the literature for recent advances and newer insights for changing epidemiological trends, pathogenesis, role of inflammatory cytokines, andvarious preventive and management strategies.

1. Introduction
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating condition of the neonatal period characterized by bowel necrosis and multisystem organfailure. It is well known that NEC is associated with prematurity and particularly with extremely low birth weight [1–3]. Necrotizing enterocolitis is rare in term infants [4], in whom it is usuallyassociated with congenital anomalies, sepsis, or hypotension [5]. The morbidity and mortality are high, and optimal strategies for treatment remain elusive, despite decades of research.

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