Epidemic Occurrence of Neonatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Authors

Mary Guinan, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Dennis Schaberg, Center for Disease Control
Frederic W. Bruhn, University of Colorado and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Joan Richardson, University of Texas
William W. Fox, University of Pennsylvania

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-1979

Publication Title

JAMA Pediatrics

Volume

133

Issue

6

First page number:

594

Last page number:

597

Abstract

In case-control studies of three epidemics of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in three different high-risk nurseries in three states, no particular risk factor was associated with affected infants or their mothers. Epidemic cases had higher birth weights and Apgar scores and fewer perinatal difficulties than those previously reported for sporadic cases. Seven infants fed primarily breast milk were not protected against disease. Early antibiotic therapy was associated with a significantly decreased risk of disease in one outbreak. In two hospitals, affected infants who received antibiotic therapy during the first three days of life had a significantly later disease onset. The occurrence of the disease in epidemics and the decreased risk or modification of disease with antibiotic therapy support an infectious etiology for NEC.

Keywords

Antibiotics; Enterocolitis; Neonatal necrotizing

Disciplines

Digestive System | Digestive System Diseases | Gastroenterology | Pediatrics

Language

English

Permissions

Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or use interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the article. Publisher copyright policy allows author to archive post-print (author’s final manuscript). When post-print is available or publisher policy changes, the article will be deposited

Repository Citation

Guinan, M., Schaberg, D., Bruhn, F. W., Richardson, J., Fox, W. W. (1979). Epidemic Occurrence of Neonatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis. JAMA Pediatrics, 133(6), 594-597.