Factors Contributing to Prevention of NEC and Nutritional Requirements with a Diagnosis of NEC
A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutritional Epidemiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 January 2026 | Viewed by 10
Special Issue Editors
Interests: necrotizing enterocolitis; preterm infant; very low birth weight infant; growth, growth failure; anthropometry; nutrition; micronutrients; neurodevelopment; mortality
Interests: necrotizing enterocolitis; preterm infant; very low birth weight infant; growth; growth failure; surgery; short bowel syndrome; nutrition; micronutrients; microbiome; probiotics; neurodevelopment; mortality
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common gastrointestinal emergency of very low birth weight (VLBW) and very preterm (VPT) infants with a 20–30% mortality rate and a high impact on growth and neurodevelopment amongst survivors. Among VLBW infants with NEC, surgical intervention is necessary in 27–52%. Mortality of extremely low birth weight infants (<1000 g birthweight) with surgical NEC is close to 50%.
NEC is a multifactorial heterogeneous disorder involving multiple factors such as immaturity, intrauterine growth, inflammation, dysbiosis, immunity, nutrition, cardiorespiratory status, infection and antibiotic exposure. Randomized controlled trials have shown that feeding human milk (donor-DBM or maternal-MoM) rather than formula during the first weeks of life reduces the risk of NEC. Multiple nutritional additives may reduce NEC, including probiotics, prebiotics, oligosaccharides, arginine. The best combination to prevent NEC remains controversial. Furthermore, occasional probiotic-related sepsis has decreased the enthusiasm for probiotic prophylaxis.
Most infants with surgical NEC develop growth failure. Additional research and multidisciplinary collaboration are needed to determine the best postoperative nutritional management. In this Special Issue of Nutrients, we aim to give a brief overview on various interventions to prevent NEC and nutritional interventions for this vulnerable population at the various stages of the disease process.
Prof. Dr. Luc P. Brion
Guest Editor
Dr. Sujir Pritha Nayak
Guest Editor Assistant
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Keywords
- necrotizing enterocolitis
- preterm infant
- very low birth weight infant
- growth
- nutrition
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