Hematological Abnormalities in Neonatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Objective: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in preterm infants born prior to 32 weeks gestation or with a birth weight less than 1500 grams. In this article, we review hematological abnormalities associated with NEC. Methods: A literature search was performed using the databases PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus, and the electronic archive of abstracts presented at the annual meetings of the Pediatric Academic Societies. Results: Thrombocytopenia, disseminated intravascular coagulation, increased or decreased neutrophil counts, and hemolytic anemia are frequent events in NEC. Conclusions: NEC is associated with several hematological abnormalities, which may play a direct or indirect role in the pathogenesis of gut mucosal injury. Some of these abnormalities carry important prognostic information.