Risk factors for developing and dying from necrotizing enterocolitis.

A case-control study was performed to identify risk factors for developing and dying from necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Eighty-six infants observed at The Johns Hopkins Hospital who had clinical and/or pathological evidence of this disease during the past 10 years were studied. Birth weight matched autopsied control infants without NEC were also studied for comparison with the autopsied infants who died with NEC. Patients with NEC had a mean birth weight of 1,620 +/- 198 g, and those who died from NEC had even lower birth weights (1,418 +/- 109 g). The development of NEC was correlated with significantly higher frequencies of oral feeding (p less than 0.005) and septicemia (p less than 0.001). Death with NEC was correlated with earlier onset and more extensive disease (both p less than 0.05), hypotension (p less than 0.001), septicemia (p less than 0.001), persistent respiratory distress (p less than 0.05), a patent ductus arteriosus (p less than 0.05), and lower 5-min Apgar scores (p less than 0.05). These findings suggest that NEC is caused by overwhelming hypotensive/ischemic injury to the intestines in association with enterosepticemia. Intestinal immaturity and oral feedings appear to be important predisposing factors in this condition.