Neurodevelopmental outcomes of babies with necrotising entercolitis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Neurodevelopmental outcomes of premature babies with necrotising enterocolitis
IRAS ID
275822
Contact name
Narendra Aladangady
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Homerton University Hospital
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC) is a condition predominantly of premature neonates. The causative insult is multifactorial and leads to intestinal permeability and translocation of bacteria causing a severe inflammation of the intestine, with the pathognomonic feature being air in the bowel wall (pneumatosis intestinalis). It is a serious and common problem occurring in 10% of neonates born weighing less than 1500g. Although overall preterm neonatal mortality rates are improving, the mortality rate of neonates who developed NEC remains high. In addition, associated morbidity such as neurodevelopmental delay in patients with NEC alone places a large burden on healthcare resources with NEC requiring surgery confering an increased risk of cognitive impairment.
Our institution is part of a peri-natal network in the North-East London area and Essex. It serves as a tertiary referral centre for one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the UK, notably a large proportion of Bangladeshi and Afro-Caribbean patients. The local Afro-Caribbean population has an increased rate of potentially important factors in the development of NEC such as pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy), reversed end diastolic flow (abnormal fetal gut blood flow) and intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR). However, reports on whether ethnicity plays a role in NEC neurodevelopmental outcomes are limited.
We therefore aim to assess the long term neurodevelopmental outcomes in babies born at less than 32 weeks gestation with necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), managed both medically and surgically, compared to gestational age matched controls.
REC name
N/A
REC reference
N/A