Abstract
BackgroundPoor weight gain in the first few weeks of life has been studied as a predictor of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Our aim was to assess whether time taken to regain birthweight (BW) be used as an additional marker to identify infants with type 1 ROP.MethodsIn this retrospective study, preterm infants (< 27 weeks gestational age at birth) born during the period from 1/1/2010–31/12/2015 at a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit in Australia were included. Twenty-seven preterm infants with Type 1 ROP were identified. Controls (No ROP or ROP other than type 1) were matched with cases on gestational age at birth and BW (1:4 ratio). Data were collected from the database and medical records.ResultsThe median (IQR) gestational age for Type 1 ROP and control groups were 24 (24–26) and 25 (24–26) weeks respectively and median (IQR) BW for Type 1 ROP and control groups were 675 (635–810) and 773 (666–884) grams respectively. Preterm infants with Type 1 ROP were more likely to be small for gestational age (SGA) (18.5% vs 3.7%, p = 0.015) and had increased weeks on oxygen therapy (median 11.9 vs 9.1, p = 0.028). Time to regain BW was longer in preterm infants with type 1 ROP than controls but did not reach statistical significance (median 9 vs 7 days, OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.00–1.17, p = 0.059) adjusted for SGA and duration of oxygen therapy. The area under the curve from the time to regain BW model with adjustment for SGA and duration of oxygen therapy was 0.73 (95% CI 0.62–0.83).ConclusionWe hypothesize that time to regain BW has potential to aid prediction of Type 1 ROP and this warrants further investigation in a larger prospective study.
Highlights
Poor weight gain in the first few weeks of life has been studied as a predictor of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)
Preterm infants with type 1 ROP were more likely to be small for gestational age (SGA) (18.5% vs 3.7%, p = 0.015) and had increased weeks of oxygen therapy
Time to regain BW may have potential to increase the predictive ability for detecting Type 1 ROP
Summary
Poor weight gain in the first few weeks of life has been studied as a predictor of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Our aim was to assess whether time taken to regain birthweight (BW) be used as an additional marker to identify infants with type 1 ROP. Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a retinal neovascular disease seen in the low birthweight preterm infants [1]. Severe forms of ROP can lead to retinal detachment and blindness if not identified and treated at the right time [2]. Arrest of the normal retinal vascular development is followed by an abnormal compensatory vascularization which leads to ROP. In phase 1 of ROP development, hyperoxia and loss of growth factors provided in utero to the fetus result in suppression of growth, and arrest of retinal vascularization.
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