Open AccessPredicting disease severity of necrotizing enterocolitis: How to identify infants for future novel therapies
Author(s) -
Troy A. Markel,
Holly J. Engelstad,
Brenda B. Poindexter
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of clinical neonatology/journal of clinical neonatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1658-6093
pISSN - 2249-4847
DOI - 10.4103/2249-4847.128717
Subject(s) - necrotizing enterocolitis , medicine , disease , intensive care medicine , population , clinical trial , pediatrics , pathology , environmental health
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains a very devastating problem within the very low birth weight neonatal population. Several experimental therapies are being tested in animal models and soon may be ready for human trials. Despite this progress, we currently have no way to identify infants who would be optimal targets for therapy. Specifically, we are unable to predict which infants will progress to the more severe Bell's stage of disease that may necessitate surgery. Ideally, an algorithm could be constructed that would encompass multiple neonatal and maternal risk factors as well as potential biologic markers of disease so that these infants could be identified in a more timely fashion. This review summarizes the known risk factors and biomarkers of disease in hopes of stimulating clinical research to identify such an "early warning" NEC algorithm.