Maternal risk factors for neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis

AbstractObjective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between maternal hypertensive disease and other risk factors and the neonatal development of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).Methods: This was a retrospective case–control study of infants with NEC from 2008 to 2012. The primary exposure of interest was maternal hypertensive disease, which has been hypothesized to put infants at risk for NEC. Other variables collected included demographics, pregnancy complications, medications and neonatal hospital course. Data were abstracted from medical records.Results: Twenty-eight cases of singleton neonates with NEC and 81 matched controls were identified and analyzed. There was no significant difference in the primary outcome. Fetuses with an antenatal diagnosis of growth restriction were more likely to develop NEC (p = 0.008). Infants with NEC had lower median birth weight than infants without NEC (p = 0.009). Infants with NEC had more late-onset sepsis (p = 0.01) and mortality before discharge (p...