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Purpose Despite advances in neonatal care, extrauterine growth restriction (EUGR) remains common in preterm infants. This retrospective single-center study aimed to determine the incidence and risk factors of EUGR in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. Methods Data were collected concerning VLBW infants with gestational age (GA) 1.2 from birth to discharge, using Fenton growth charts. Results Among 331 eligible preterm infants, the prevalence of EUGR at discharge was 71.6%. Infants with EUGR had lower GA and birth weight than those without EUGR. They also underwent prolonged durations of parenteral nutrition, invasive ventilation, and hospitalization. Neonatal morbidities, such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, patent ductus arteriosus, necrotizing enterocolitis, gastrointestinal surgery, sepsis, and parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis were more prevalent in the EUGR group. Multivariate analysis identified lower GA and longer time to reach full enteral feeding as independent risk factors, whereas maternal use of antenatal steroids and history of gestational diabetes mellitus were independent protective factors for EUGR. Conclusion As VLBW infants are at a high risk of EUGR, continuous attention and efforts to achieve early full enteral nutrition are required to decrease the incidence of EUGR.

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is a member of eosinophilic gastrointestinal (GI) diseases and is characterized by the accumulation of eosinophils within the GI tract. Common symptoms of eosinophilic gastroenteritis are vomiting, abdominal pain, dysphagia, and weight loss, but rare fever in neonate. This report describes a 10-day-old boy who developed fever, bloody mucoid stool, and bilious vomiting resulting from eosinophilic gastroenteritis, mimicking sepsis. Sigmoidoscopy and pathologic findings revealed mucosal edema, small hemorrhagic spot, and segmental erythemoid edema in the colon and increased number of eosinophils in the lamina propria with intraepithelial eosinophils. After breast milk feeding with restriction of milk from the mother for 6 months, specific immunoglobulin to milk was class 0 (class 3, previous). The boy restarted formula feeding, and he had no fever and GI symptoms.