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. 2021 May;41(5):1100-1109.
doi: 10.1038/s41372-021-00961-7. Epub 2021 Feb 15.

Temporal and seasonal variations in incidence of stage II and III NEC-a 28-year epidemiologic study from tertiary NICUs in Connecticut, USA

Darius Javidi  1 , Zigeng Wang  2 , Sanguthevar Rajasekaran  2 , Naveed Hussain  3
Affiliations

Temporal and seasonal variations in incidence of stage II and III NEC-a 28-year epidemiologic study from tertiary NICUs in Connecticut, USA

Darius Javidi et al. J Perinatol. 2021 May.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate seasonality and temporal trends in the incidence of NEC.

Study design: A retrospective cohort study from two tertiary NICUs in northern and central Connecticut involving 16,761 infants admitted over a 28-year period. Various perinatal and neonatal risk factors were evaluated by univariate, multivariate, and spectral density analyses.

Results: Incidence of NEC was unchanged over the 28 years of study. Gestational age, birth weight, and birth-months (birth in April/May) were independently associated with stage II or III NEC even after adjusting for confounding factors (p < 0.05). Yearly NEC incidence showed a multi-modal distribution with spectral density spikes approximately every 10 years.

Conclusion(s): Temporal and seasonal factors may play a role in NEC with a peak incidence in infants born in April/May and periodicity spikes approximately every 10 years. These trends suggest non-random and possibly environmental factors influencing NEC.

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