Prevalence and Predisposing Factors of Retinopathy of Prematurity in Very Low-birth-weight Infants Discharged from NICU

Objective: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a disease of the eye caused by disorganized growth of retinal blood vessels resulting in scarring and retinal detachment. All preterm babies are at high risk for ROP, and very low birth weight is an additional risk factor. An increased incidence of ROP is expected in Iran because of improved survival of low birth weight and premature babies, and it is obvious that pediatricians and ophthalmologists are concerned about prevention and timely treatment of ROP in these children. To assess the real situation of ROP in our NICU we studied its prevalence and risk factors. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of premature infants with birth weight of <= 1500 grams or gestational age of <= 32 weeks, admitted April 1, 2005 to March 28, 2006, to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Qaem Hospital Mashhad, Iran. The collected data of 47 cases in this cross-sectional study are analyzed by SPSS (Mann_Whitney, t-Student). Findings: Forty five infants were included in the study. Out of these, 4 (8.5%) developed ROP (inclusive all stages). Our analysis revealed that low gestational age, sepsis and respiratory distress syndrome were independent predictors for the development of ROP. Conclusion: The frequency of ROP in our hospital was lower than the range reported in developed countries, and our risk factors were a little different.