This information is from a patent written in 1997 called "Preventing/treating
neonatal NEC by administering lactobacilus salivarius and lactobacillus
plantarum or a combination thereof" (patent # 6132710) Don't know if it
will help you because you may be looking for more up-to-date references:
"NEC is the most serious gastrointestinal disorder of premature infants and
one of the leading causes of death in neonatal intensive care units (NICU).
It is the most common surgical emergency in the newborn period and the second
leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the preterm population. The
incidence of NEC in selected studies has ranged from fewer than 1% to as many
as 5% of NICU admissions (Stoll B J: Epidemiology of necrotizing
enterocolitis. Clin Perinatol 21:205-218, 1994.)
A recent multicenter study of 2681 infants weighing 501-1500 grams reported
that proven NEC (Bell Stage 2-3) occurred in 10.1% and suspected NEC (Bell
Stage 1) in a further 17.2% of the cohort; mortality was 54% in infants with
severe (Stage 3) NEC. These data indicate that NEC is a major public health
problem in neonates: given the .about.4 million births/year in the United
States, NEC would be expected to develop in 1200-9600 infants, of whom
between 9-28% will die as a result of their disease. (Walsh M C, Kleigman R
M, Fanaroff A A: Necrotizing enterocolitis: A practitioner's perspective.
Pediatr Rev 9:219-226, 1988; Uauy R D, Fanaroff A A, Korones S B, Phillips E
A, Philips J B, Wright L: Necrotizing enterocolitis in very low birth weight
infants: Biodemographic and clinical correlates. J Pediatr 119:630-38, 1991.)
Earlier studies indicated a mortality of 10-55% in premature infants (Stoll B
J, Kanto W P, Glass R I, Nahmias A J, Brann A W: Epidemiology of necrotizing
enterocolitis: A case control study. J Pediatr 96:447-451, 1980).
Survivors of NEC can also have considerable long-term morbidity resulting
from their disease, including short-gut syndrome, failure-to-thrive,
intestinal stricture, and the need for repeated surgery (Simon N P: Follow-up
for infants with necrotizing enterocolitis. Clin Perinatol 21:411-424, 1994).
NEC is primarily a disease of premature infants who have survived the
immediate neonatal period. There is an increased incidence of NEC with
decreasing birthweight and gestational age; in a population-based study
involving all infants born in a single state during a 1-year period, the
incidence of NEC was 42.1/1000 livebirths weighing <1000 grams, compared with
only 3.8/1000 in the 1500-2501 gm birthweight category, and 0.11/1000 in
children weighing >2500 grams at birth (Wilson R, Canto W P, McCarthy B J et
al.: Epidemiologic characteristics of necrotizing enterocolitis: a population
based study. Am J Epidemiol 114:880-887, 1981.)
The recent introduction of replacement surfactant therapy has resulted in a
decrease in the mortality rate associated with respiratory distress syndrome
in extremely low-birthweight infants, precisely that population at highest
risk for developing NEC. With the prevalence of NEC likely to rise, NEC may
become an increasingly important cause of neonatal mortality in the 1990's.
All premature infants are at risk of developing NEC, with the risk increasing
with decreasing gestational age. Of 4 million live births/yr in the U.S.,
approximately 8% (320,000) are prematurely born. All of these infants will be
eligible to receive multiple doses of Lactobacillus/Bifidobacteria
preparation. Currently the clinical management of NEC is largely empiric
consisting of general supportive measures. Cost of the intensive medical care
per patient with NEC ranges between $50,000-$100,000; with even higher
hospital cost for those requiring surgery. In spite of all these
interventions, mortality rate in NEC has been reported to be upto 55%.
In addition, those undergoing surgery are often left with long term
dysfunctions such as short gut syndrome and failure to thrive, translating to
continued morbidity and medical expense."
***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
|
