Clinical features of functional gastrointestinal disorders in preterm infants: an analytical study

Background. Pathology associated with digestive system insufficiency in newborns occurs in 33.8% to 53.45% of cases. Aim. To conduct a comparative analysis of the clinical manifestations of nutritional deficiency in preterm infants, considering the gestational age and severity of perinatal pathology. Materials and Methods. Clinical signs of nutritional deficiency in 355 preterm infants with perinatal pathology of varying severity were analysed. Group I included 54 infants born at 26–31/6 weeks of gestation and with a serious condition at birth; Group II – 149 infants at 32–33/6 weeks of gestation (Subgroup IIA – 67 infants with severe forms of perinatal pathology, Subgroup IIB – 82 infants with moderate pathology); Group III – 102 infants at the gestational age of 34–36/6 weeks (Subgroup IIIA – 41 infants with severe forms of perinatal pathology, Subgroup IIIB – 61 infants with moderate pathology); Group IV – 50 conditionally healthy newborns at the gestational age of 34–36/6 weeks. Results and Conclusions. Asphyxia, respiratory distress syndrome, primary pulmonary atelectasis, hyaline membrane disease, multiple organ failure syndrome with damage to the central nervous, respiratory, cardiovascular, urinary, and gastrointestinal systems, as well as haemorrhagic, convulsive and anaemic syndromes play a crucial role in the severity of the condition in preterm infants. The most frequent clinical markers of food intolerance in perinatal pathology in newborns were: residual volume of more than 50%, regurgitation and/or vomiting, enlarged liver or hepatolienal syndrome; intestinal meteorism, blood in coprofiltrate, acholic stools, jaundice and endotoxemia syndrome. The severity and frequency of food tolerance disorders correlate with the severity of perinatal pathology and the lower gestational age of newborns.