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ABSTRACT: Introduction
To elucidate the postnatal dynamics and clinical associations of fecal calprotectin (FC) in very preterm infants, with a focus on necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and feeding intolerance (FI).Methods
We performed a prospective observational cohort study in infants with a gestational age of <32 weeks or birth weight <1500 g with weekly feces collection. The relationships between FC, NEC, and FI were investigated, adjusting for demographic and clinical factors.Results
A total of 1,086 fecal samples were collected from 194 preterm infants. Postnatal FC levels of non-NEC infants were highly variable and followed an age-dependent patterned progression. FC levels were elevated in NEC patients before and at NEC onset, distinguishing them from non-NEC infants and those at sepsis onset. Among infants without NEC or sepsis, those with FI exhibited lower FC concentrations throughout hospitalization and displayed a significant delay in reaching high FC levels after meconium compared to non-FI infants. The age to reach the first high non-meconial FC levels was positively associated with the time to achieve full enteral feeding.Conclusion
Postnatal FC dynamics among premature infants followed a patterned progression but were disturbed in patients with NEC and FI. Due to the high variations, the use of FC levels in NEC diagnosis should be implemented with caution in clinical practice. FC may help understand FI and feeding progression in very preterm infants. Further research is needed to validate these findings and explore the potential clinical applications of FC in this population.
SUBMITTER: Hong L
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10461937 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Hong Luyang L Huang Yihuang Y Jiang Siyuan S Han Junyan J Li Shujuan S Zhang Lan L Zhou Qi Q Cao Xincheng X Yu Weiyin W Yang Yi Y Cao Yun Y
Clinical and translational gastroenterology 20230801 8
<h4>Introduction</h4>To elucidate the postnatal dynamics and clinical associations of fecal calprotectin (FC) in very preterm infants, with a focus on necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and feeding intolerance (FI).<h4>Methods</h4>We performed a prospective observational cohort study in infants with a gestational age of <32 weeks or birth weight <1,500 g with weekly feces collection. The relationships between FC, NEC, and FI were investigated, adjusting for demographic and clinical factors.<h4>Resu ...[more]