Risk factors for the development of retinopathy in premature infants

Abstract

Background. Retinopathy of prematurity is one of the disabling conditions in premature babies. Despite the fact that the main predictors for the development of retinopathy of prematurity are known, the factors that can potentially cause it require further study. The purpose was to determine risk factors for the development of retinopathy in premature newborns for better control. Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of 50 medical records of inpatient premature babies with a gestational age of 28–34 weeks and the medical charts of their mothers was carried out. Two groups were distinguished: the first one — 29 children with retinopathy, the second one — 21 patient without retinopathy. Results. The vast majority of children — 38 (76.0 %) were born at a gestational age of 28–31 weeks. Differences between groups were not significant. The analysis showed that 14 (48.3 %) premature children were diagnosed with stage I retinopathy, 6 (20.7 %) — with stage II, 5 (17.2 %) — with stage ІІІ and 4 (13.8 %) — with stage IV. The most influential risk factors for the development of retinopathy of prematurity were identified. The presence of retinopathy significantly correlated with gestational age of less than 34 weeks (ρ = 0.64, p < 0.001), need for oxygen subsidy ≥ 40 % (ρ = 0.59, р < 0.001), development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (ρ = 0.34, р < 0.01), sepsis (ρ = 0.59, р < 0.001), intraventricular hemorrhages (ρ = 0.56, р < 0.001). It was also found that the presence of a burdened maternal history in the form of chronic foci of infection and chorioamnionitis is a significant risk factor for the development of retinopathy (ρ = 0.56, р < 0.001). Moreover, the presence of an infection in the mother increased the risk of retinopathy stage III–IV in a child by 3.8 times (p < 0.05), and stage I–II retinopathy — by 5 times. With a combination of chorioamnionitis and chronic foci of infection, the risk of developing severe retinopathy was almost 95 % (р < 0.007). Conclusions. Burdened maternal history in the form of chronic foci of infection and/or choriamnionitis is an important risk factor for the development of retinopathy in children. Chorioamnionitis is a predictor of severe retinopathy. Treatment of chronic foci of infection in pregnant women should be considered as a mandatory measure to prevent retinopathy in premature newborns.