Biomarkers of necrotizing enterocolitis: a review of literature

Abstract

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is among the most serious gastrointestinal emergency in very low birth weight (VLBW), extremely low birth weight (ELBW) and extremely low gestational age neonates (ELGAN), affecting 7–14% of these neonates. Despite extensive research, the underlying aetiology of NEC still remains blurred. Due to high mortality, morbidity and its delayed presentation, early detection of NEC is considered to be lifesaving. A number of biomarkers have been studied for early detection and prediction of severity of NEC but till date, no ideal marker has been discovered. Molecular techniques like proteomic and metabolomic have recently emerged in the field for the development of biomarkers for early detection and understanding the pathophysiology of NEC. We did literature search for identifying all biomarkers that have been used for the detection of NEC and, in this review article, we discuss these biomarkers along with the available current evidence.

Keywords:

• Biomarker
• necrotizing enterocolitis
• negative predictive value
• positive predictive value
• preterm
• sensitivity
• specificity

Acknowledgements

No financial assistance was received to support this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.