TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Necrotizing Enterocolitis A1 - Patel, Ravi Mangal A1 - Neu, Josef A2 - Kline, Mark W. PY - 2018 T2 - Rudolph's Pediatrics, 23e AB - Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a serious gastrointestinal disease that occurs primarily in preterm infants. The disease is characterized by the rapid onset of intestinal inflammation and, in severe cases, can lead to intestinal necrosis and multiorgan dysfunction that results in death. Since the 1950s, when neonatal intensive care was introduced at many centers around the world with survival of very low–birth-weight (VLBW) infants, NEC has been reported as a complication of premature birth. It remains the most common gastrointestinal complication in preterm infants, and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates, accounting for 10% of deaths in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Reports from the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the Netherlands indicate that NEC is increasing as a cause of death, as survival from lung disease has improved for preterm infants. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/29 UR - accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1182921777 ER -