Efficacy Of Oral Melatonin To Prevent Necrotizing Enterocolitis
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2021-12-31
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Prematurity is still one of the primary causes of death in children under 5. 1-2. According
to the WHO, 60% of all preterm births occur in Asia, with the Philippines accounting for
around 348,900 every year. 3. Necrotizing enterocolitis is one of the fatal complications
(NEC) 3, 4. Preterm newborns weighing 1500 grams or less are considered high risk. 5-6.
Melatonin is one chemical that may help prevent NEC. Melatonin is an endogenous indolamine
derived from serotonin. It is a ubiquitous molecule that is crucial to the body's physiologic
function. Melatonin, also known as N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, is an immunomodulator,
antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and free radical scavenger7-10.
It is a naturally occurring chemical that is simply replenished. With this in mind, the
researcher wants to see if providing high dose melatonin to premature babies can prevent NEC.