Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC)

Babies who are born premature or sick generally have a more fragile gastrointestinal tract It is not clear exactly what causes NEC, but it is thought that the intestinal tissues are damaged by various factors including too little oxygen or blood flow, resulting in inflammation. 

NEC usually affects premature babies, particularly those with low birth weight and those who are born unwell with other medical problems. Rarely,  NEC can also affect babies born at term following a brief intercurrent illness. It mainly occurs in babies receiving some amount of milk compared to a baby who has never been fed. 

It can also occur in babies who have multisystem illness, infection, PDA or use of NSAIDs for  treatment of a PDA. 

Sometimes other illnesses (e.g. infection, feed intolerance) may mimic clinical and radiological features of NEC.