18/09/2025
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Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) is a serious gastrointestinal disease that primarily affects premature and medically fragile infants. It occurs when intestinal tissue becomes inflamed and begins to die, which can lead to perforations in the intestine and life-threatening infections.
-NEC occurs in about 1 in 1,000 live births and in up to 7–10% of very low birth weight babies (under 1,500 grams or 3.3 pounds).
- It most often develops within the first 2–6 weeks of life.
-Prematurity, formula feeding, intestinal infections, and reduced blood or oxygen flow to the intestine.
-Despite medical advances, NEC still carries a mortality rate of 20–30%, especially among extremely preterm infants.
While outcomes are improving with earlier detection, surgical techniques, and increased use of breast milk, NEC remains one of the most devastating complications faced in the NICU.