children s health issues
Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC)
Symptoms of Necrotizing Enterocolitis
Newborns with necrotizing enterocolitis may develop swelling of the abdomen and may have difficulty feeding. They may vomit bloody or green- or yellow-stained fluid, and blood may be visible in the stools. These newborns soon appear very sick and sluggish (lethargic) and have a low body temperature and repeated pauses of breathing (apnea). Narrowing of the intestine (intestinal stricture) is the most common long-term complication of necrotizing enterocolitis. 