Background:

Prematurity is a public health problem due to its high morbidity and mortality. The main causes of mortality in premature infants are associated infections. In Peru, the percentage of premature births increased from 6.4% in 2020 to 7.5% in 2023, with an average of 30,000 premature babies annually. At the Instituto Nacional Materno Perinatal (INMP), of all neonatal deaths by 2023, 70% corresponded to premature babies and 46.5% to those less than 1500 g.

Objective

: To determine the protective effect of colostrum therapy in very low birth weight premature infants at the INMP.

Methods

: An observational, analytical, longitudinal retrospective, cohort study was carried out. We worked with 462 premature babies with very low birth weight, divided into two groups at a ratio of 1:1 for those exposed and not exposed to colostrum therapy. To evaluate its protective effect, three study models were proposed: Model 1, which is necrotizing enterocolitis; model 2, mechanical ventilation and model 3, mortality. A bivariate and multivariate Poisson regression model was used to estimate the crude and adjusted relative risk with their respective 95% confidence intervals. Results: The multivariate analysis showed that colostrum therapy acts as a protective factor for necrotizing enterocolitis (1.73 % vs 7.79 %, RRa: 0.298, 95 %CI: 0.1-0.91) and mortality (12.98% vs 42.86 %, RRa 0.494, 95 %CI: 0.32-0.76); in contrast, the requirement for ventilation therapy did not show a significant association (62.77 % vs 75.32%, RRa 0.92, 95%CI: 0.72-1.2).

Conclusions:

Colostrum therapy is a protective factor for necrotizing enterocolitis and mortality in premature neonates of very low birth weight.

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