CHICAGO, Ill. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – One in 10 babies are born prematurely, before 37 weeks of pregnancy. It’s the number one cause of death of babies in the U.S. The little ones that survive often struggle with long-term health problems. Another complication is something known as NEC, and it causes intestinal tissue to die. There are no targeted treatments, but researchers have found what may cause it. Now, they will be able to save more lives.
Little two-year-old Sam Luce is right on target, which is amazing, considering he was born three months premature.
“Sam was born just under two and a half pounds,” says his father, Ben Luce.
His mother, Maureen Luce expresses, “It’s hard to describe the size.”
“Day four was the first time we ever got to hold him,” Ben adds.
Sam was suffering from necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC. It causes intestinal tissue to die.
“They suddenly develop abdominal distention, feeding intolerance, bloody stool, and they may develop signs of shock,” explains Neonatologist and Professor of Pediatrics at the Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Isabelle De Plaen, MD.
Doctors are not sure what causes it but neonatologists at Lurie Children’s Hospital found that the decreased development of tiny blood vessels in the intestines could be caused by lower levels of a particular growth hormone. By injecting mice with this growth hormone, they were able to stop the infection.
Dr. De Plaen further explains, “We could find and design therapy that could prevent NEC so, babies would no longer need to suffer from this disease.”
Just five days after birth, Sam had two inches of his intestine removed. After 151 days in the NICU, he was finally well enough to go home. Now, he keeps his big brother Jack on the run.
“It just blows my mind. He has met all of his milestones, developmentally. He’s super social, a loving, fun, stubborn two-year-old,” Maureen expresses about her son.
Doctors hope these new insights will open the door to developing novel, new treatments that could promote healthy intestine development in premature babies.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Roque Correa, Videographer & Editor.
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Source:
https://www.marchofdimes.org/mission/prematurity-campaign.aspx
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: SAVING SAM: NEC IN PREEMIES
REPORT: MB #5103
BACKGROUND: Premature birth is the number one cause in death of babies in the USA. Babies who survive premature births are at risk for long-term health issues such as cerebral palsy, chronic lung disease and even hearing loss. While the preterm birth rate declined in 2020 by one percent, race and ethnic differences in preterm birth rates remained the same with the rate of preterm birth in Black women about fifty percent higher than the rate of preterm births in Hispanic and white women. Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a gastrointestinal problem that can lead to death in premature babies. In some cases, NEC is mild while other cases are life threatening.
(Source: https://www.marchofdimes.org/mission/prematurity-campaign.aspx#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%2C%20about,babies%20is%20born%20too%20soon. https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/maternalinfanthealth/pretermbirth.htm https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/10026-necrotizing-enterocolitis#:~:text=Diagnosis%20and%20Tests&text=Blood%20tests%3A%20A%20blood%20test,the%20intestine%20or%20abdominal%20cavity.)
DIAGNOSING: NEC can be confirmed in an X-ray if an abnormal gas pattern shows up. It looks like a bubbly or streaky appearance of gas in the walls of the intestines. In more severe cases, air can escape from the intestines and shows up in the veins of the liver or the abdominal cavity and a doctor may need to insert a needle into the stomach to withdraw the fluid to see if there is a hole in the intestine.
(Source: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/nec.html )
NEW TREATMENT ON THE HORIZON?: Currently, there are no targeted treatments for NEC because the causes of the condition are not known. Researchers at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago have identified key players in the disease which could lead to a treatment. Building on their previous work which found that decreased development of tiny blood vessels in the intestines contributes to NEC, the researchers discovered that macrophages, a type of white blood cell, play a critical role in this process. They also show that a growth hormone called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which macrophages produce, stimulates microvascular development in the intestine.
(https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220406101704.htm)
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Julianne Bardele
(321) 227-4265
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com
