Enterocolitis necrotizante neonatal: Etiopatiogenia y prevención

Abstract

The pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis seems to be multifactorial. There are probably two different forms of the disease: one in preterm infants and another one in term newborns, in both of which those factors may have differed weights. In the first case, prematurity together with inmaturity of the bowel and of the inmune response may play an important role, while in the second one, hypoxic phenomena may be more relevant. Although some studies suggest that inflammatory mediators, specially platelet activating factor, participate in the pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis, there is not enough data in humans in order to determine if their appearence is a cause or an effect of the disease process. Further investigation is needed to get a better understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease from which new methods of prevention and management may emerge.