title: Decreased survival in necrotizing enterocolitis is significantly associated with neonatal and maternal blood group: the AB isoagglutinin hypothesis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effect of neonatal and maternal blood group on the mortality risk from necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart review of all neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit over 24 years. Data on birth date, gestational age, maternal/neonatal blood group, number of transfusions, and survival time (defined as date of birth to date of death/discharge) were collected on those with NEC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  276 neonates with Bell stage II-III NEC were analyzed. AB neonates had a significantly higher risk of mortality from NEC compared with other blood groups (HR 2.87; 95% CI 1.40 to 5.89; P=0.003). Multivariate analysis showed AB blood group to be an independent risk factor for mortality from NEC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neonatal and maternal blood groups are significantly associated with a neonate's survival from NEC. The increased mortality of AB neonates may be related to factors such as neonatal blood group antigens and/or transplacental transfer of isoagglutinins.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL 60153, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Habeeb
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Dechristopher
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Glynn
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yong
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Muraskas
mesh_terms: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D020345:Enterocolitis, Necrotizing / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000097:blood*; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System