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Necrotizing enterocolitis and the gut-lung axis
Kent A Willis1, Namasivayam Ambalavanan1
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Insights
The gut-lung axis links gut health to lung health. This review explores how gut issues in premature infants, like necrotizing enterocolitis, increase the risk of lung disease, such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Neonatology
- Pulmonology
Background:
- The gut-lung axis describes the bidirectional communication between the gut microbiota and the lungs.
- Pulmonary and gastrointestinal diseases are often treated in isolation, neglecting their interconnectedness.
- Necrotizing enterocolitis and bronchopulmonary dysplasia are severe conditions in premature infants affecting the gut and lungs, respectively.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the pathophysiology of the gut-lung axis.
- To highlight the contribution of the gut-lung axis to disease risk in premature infants.
- To emphasize the link between necrotizing enterocolitis and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on the gut-lung axis.
- Analysis of the pathophysiology linking gut and lung diseases in neonates.
- Synthesis of evidence on necrotizing enterocolitis and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
Main Results:
- The gut microbiota significantly influences lung development and disease.
- Gut inflammation and dysbiosis can exacerbate lung injury.
- Premature infants with necrotizing enterocolitis show increased susceptibility to bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
Conclusions:
- The gut-lung axis is a critical factor in neonatal health and disease.
- Understanding this axis can lead to integrated treatment strategies for premature infants.
- Targeting the gut microbiota may offer novel therapeutic approaches for bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
Abstract:
The recently recognized connection between the gut microbiota and pulmonary disease has been termed the gut-lung axis. However, broader connections link the gut and the lungs and these organ systems are tightly interrelated in both homeostasis and disease. This concept is often ignored in the compartmentalized treatment of pulmonary or gastrointestinal disease. In newborns, the most severe gastrointestinal complication of prematurity, necrotizing enterocolitis, and the most severe pulmonary complication, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, both produce significant systemic morbidity. In this review, we highlight the often neglected pathophysiology of the gut-lung axis contributes to increased risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in premature infants with necrotizing enterocolitis.
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