Ontogeny of salivary epidermal growth factor and necrotizing enterocolitis

To examine the ontogeny of salivary epidermal growth factor (sEGF) in premature infants and to determine the relation of sEGF to the development of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).

Salivary EGF was prospectively measured in 327 infants with gestational ages from 23 weeks to term. Infants of < or = 32 weeks' gestation (n = 261) were followed with weekly sEGF measurements through 3 weeks of life. Multivariable regression analyses were used to determine variables significantly related to sEGF levels and to identify predictors of NEC.

Over the first 3 weeks of life, sEGF increased across gestational age and postnatal age categories. In multivariable models, gestational age was a significant predictor of sEGF levels (P < .009). In a cohort of 27 infants who had NEC, gestational age, race, and changes in sEGF levels between weeks of life 1 and 2 were predictive of the development of NEC. These infants had lower sEGF at week 1 and greater increases from week 1 to week 2 compared with infants without NEC.

There is a positive relation between sEGF levels and gestational age. Patterns of sEGF levels over the first 2 weeks of life were significantly related to development of NEC in very low birth weight infants.