Table 1.
Patient demographics and clinical characteristics.
| Total cohort (n = 246) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical NEC (n = 116) | Surgical NEC (n = 61) | Controls (n = 69) | p-value | |
| Gestational age | ||||
| Median (IQR), weeks + days | 31 + 4 (29 + 3 to 33 + 3) | 28 + 0 (26 + 1 to 30 + 2) | 31 + 3 (28 + 6 to 33 + 3) | <0.001a |
| ≥33 weeks, no. (%) | 35 (30.2%) | 5 (8.2%) | 19 (28%) | 0.004b |
| <33 weeks, no. (%) | 81 (69.8%) | 56 (92%) | 50 (72%) | |
| Birth weight | ||||
| Median (IQR), g | 1,552 (1,154 to 1,974) | 960 (724 to 1,320) | 1,467 (1,213 to 1,886) | <0.001a |
| >1,500 g, no. (%) | 63 (54.3%) | 12 (20%) | 33 (48%) | <0.001b |
| <1,500 g, no. (%) | 53 (45.7%) | 49 (80%) | 36 (52%) | |
| Female, no. (%) | 51 (44.0%) | 19 (31%) | 34 (49%) | 0.10b |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| CLD, no. (%) | 20 (17.2%) | 28 (46%) | 7 (10%) | <0.001b |
| IVH, no. (%) | 27 (23.3%) | 22 (36%) | 10 (14%) | 0.02b |
| PDA, no. (%) | 17 (14.7%) | 23 (38%) | 7 (10%) | <0.001b |
| ROP, no. (%) | 28 (24.1%) | 23 (38%) | 6 (8.7%) | <0.001b |
| SGA, no. (%) | 13 (11.2%) | 7 (11%) | 4 (5.8%) | 0.43b |
| Died, no. (%) | 1 (0.9%) | 12 (20%) | 1 (1.4%) | <0.001b |
| Postnatal age at NEC onset, median (IQR), days | 10 (6 to 18) | 11 (6 to 24) | 4 (1 to 15) | <0.001a |
| Postnatal age at baseline, median (IQR), days | 1 (0 to 4) | 1 (0 to 9) | 0 (0 to 1) | <0.001a |
| Time between baseline and NEC onset, median (IQR), days | 7 (5 to 11) | 7 (3 to 12) | 2 (1 to 11) | 0.001a |
| Postnatal age at end of antibiotics, median (IQR), days | 22 (16 to 28) | 29 (20 to 41) | –d | <0.001c |
| Antibiotic duration, median (IQR), days | 10 (9 to 13) | 15 (13 to 18) | –d | <0.001c |
| Positive blood culture at NEC diagnosis, no. (%) | 2 (1.7%) | 13 (21%) | –d | <0.001b |
NEC, necrotizing enterocolitis; CLD, chronic lung disease; IVH, intraventricular hemorrhage; PDA, patent ductus arteriosus; ROP, retinopathy of pre-maturity; SGA, small for gestational age; g, grams; IQR, interquartile range.
a
Kruskal–Wallis-test.
b
Fischer exact-test.
c
Mann–Whitney.
d
Not applicable to control group.