title: Maternal pre-eclampsia as a risk factor for necrotizing enterocolitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Similar pro-inflammatory responses are present in pre-eclampsia (PE) and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). We hypothesized that maternal PE is an independent risk factor for the development of NEC.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective database of all live births (2008-2011) at a tertiary center was constructed. Infant and maternal characteristics were gathered. Babies born to mothers with or without PE were compared. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U, Pearson's χ(2), binary logistic regression and relative risks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Incidence of NEC was 1.5% in non-PE and 4.6% in the PE group (p < 0.001), but once controlled for gestational age and birth weight, the difference lost statistical significance. PE babies were more frequently preterm (41.4% versus 14.5%, p < 0.001) and had intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) (10.2% versus 6.3%, p < 0.001). Within preterm babies, 9.0% of non-PE and 10.8% of PE babies developed NEC (p = 0.25). Effect of PE was significant in sub-group of IUGR babies, with NEC in 1.5% of non-PE and 13.6% in PE babies (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Maternal PE is an independent risk factor for the development of NEC in some sub-groups of babies, most notably with IUGR. Fetal hypoxia caused by abnormal placentation in PE leads to restricted growth, and may be the underlying mechanism that predisposes the newborn to NEC.
authors.affiliation: a Texas A&M College of Medicine , Temple , TX , USA .|b Department of Pediatric Surgery and.|c Department of Pediatrics , McLane Children's Hospital at Scott & White , Temple , TX , USA .
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Perger
authors.affiliation: a Texas A&M College of Medicine , Temple , TX , USA .|d Department of Surgery , Scott & White Hospital , Temple , TX , USA .
authors.forename: Dhriti
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mukhopadhyay
authors.affiliation: e Faculty of Arts , University of Ljubljana , Ljubljana , Slovenia , and.
authors.forename: Luka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Komidar
authors.affiliation: a Texas A&M College of Medicine , Temple , TX , USA .|d Department of Surgery , Scott & White Hospital , Temple , TX , USA .
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wiggins-Dohlvik
authors.affiliation: a Texas A&M College of Medicine , Temple , TX , USA .|f Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics , Scott & White Hospital , Temple , TX , USA.
authors.forename: Mohammad N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Uddin
authors.affiliation: a Texas A&M College of Medicine , Temple , TX , USA .|c Department of Pediatrics , McLane Children's Hospital at Scott & White , Temple , TX , USA .
authors.forename: Madhava
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beeram
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D020345:Enterocolitis, Necrotizing / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Necrotizing enterocolitis; newborn; pre-eclampsia; small for gestational age