According to a 2008 review of the evidence, all newborn infants born preterm (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) or born with a low birth weight (less than 2,500 grams, or about 5.5 pounds) are at increased risk for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). The smaller the infant or the more premature the delivery, the greater the risk.1
The NICHD estimates that NEC affects about 9,000 of the 480,000 infants born preterm each year in the United States.2,3
The population most at risk for NEC is increasing because with technological advances in care the number of very low birth weight infants who survive continues to grow.1 The percentage of very low birth weight infants who develop NEC remains steady, however, at about 7%.1
NEC continues to be one of the leading causes of illness and death among preterm infants4 15% to 40% of infants with NEC die from the disease.1,3
A smaller percentage of full-term infants (about 10%) develop NEC, and these are usually associated with another serious illness, such as congenital heart disease.1
- Lin, P. W., Nasr, T. R., & Stoll, B. J. (2008). Necrotizing enterocolitis: Recent scientific advances in pathophysiology and prevention. Seminars in Perinatology, 32, 70–82. [top]
- Hamilton, B. E., Martin, J. A., & Ventura, S. J. (2011). Births: Preliminary data for 2010. National Vital Statistics Reports, 60(2), 1–25. Retrieved August 1, 2012, from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr60/novsr60_02.pdf(PDF - 460 KB) [top]
- NICHD. (2010). Small protein provides target to help prevent potentially lethal condition [news release]. Retrieved August 1, 2012. [top]
- Thompson, A. M., & Bizzarro, M. J. (2008). Necrotizing enterocolitis in newborns: Pathogenesis, prevention and management. Drugs, 68, 1227–1238. [top]