Therapy
Successful prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis is the prenatal maternal betamethasone prophylaxis for fetal lung maturation, in case of imminent premature birth. In addition, infant nutrition with breast milk is preventive, as is antibiotic prophylaxis for premature babies. However, this procedure is controversial because of the resistance that develops. Subject of current research is among other things the use of good bacterial strains (Probiotika) and/or of substances, which serve good intestine bacteria as food (Prebiotika), and so the structure of a favorable Darmflora accelerate.
Frequency distribution
Necrotizing enterocolitis most frequently occurs in immature premature babies with a birth weight <1500g. The frequency of new infections (incidence) in this group of patients is about 10%, whereas in mature newborns the incidence is less than 1%. The total rate of necrotizing enterocolitis among all live-born children is approximately 1-3:1000, with girls and boys being affected about equally often. Despite the great medical progress in recent years and decades, the incidence of the disease has not decreased.
