Perinatal Risk Factors for the Retinopathy of Prematurity in Postnatal Growth and Rop Study

Area of Science:

• Neonatal ophthalmology
• Perinatal medicine
• Public health

Background:

• Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a significant cause of visual impairment in premature infants.
• Identifying perinatal risk factors is crucial for targeted ROP screening and prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate perinatal risk factors associated with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in a large cohort of premature infants.
• To determine the predictive value of identified risk factors for ROP development and severity.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of the retrospective G-ROP Study cohort, including 7483 premature infants from 29 North American hospitals (2006-2012).
• Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify significant risk factors for any ROP and severe ROP.
• Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC) was calculated to assess predictive accuracy.

Main Results:

• 43.1% of infants had any ROP, and 12.4% had severe ROP.
• Key risk factors for any ROP included lower birth weight (BW), younger gestational age (GA), lower Apgar score, White race, outborn status, and delivery room intubation.
• Lower BW and younger GA were the dominant predictors for both any ROP (AUC=0.86) and severe ROP (AUC=0.88).

Conclusions:

• Prematurity, indicated by low birth weight and young gestational age, is the predominant determinant of ROP risk.
• While other perinatal factors contribute, their impact on ROP development is minimal compared to the degree of prematurity.
• Findings support current ROP screening guidelines emphasizing infants born at the earliest gestational ages.