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Characteristics Of Preterm With Sight Threatening Retinopathy Of Prematurity
Muhammad Hanif1, Shabina Ariff1, Aisha Ansar1
1Department of Pediatrics and Child Health.
Insights
Severe Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is linked to low birth weight and gestational age in preterm infants. Lower weight gain in the first four weeks may also contribute to ROP severity.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Ophthalmology
- Public health
Background:
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a significant cause of childhood blindness, primarily affecting preterm infants.
- The condition is more prevalent in underdeveloped nations, with Pakistan reporting a 7.7% severe ROP rate.
- This study investigates predictors of sight-threatening ROP in preterm neonates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the characteristics of preterm babies with severe Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP).
- To identify potential predictors of sight-threatening ROP in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) cohort.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective review of 83 preterm infants diagnosed with severe ROP at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi.
- Data collected included gestational age, birth weight, weight gain, blood transfusions, oxygen use, and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) status.
- Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20.0.
Main Results:
- The frequency of severe ROP in the study cohort was 5.95%.
- Infants with severe ROP had a mean gestational age of 28.27 weeks and a mean birth weight of 1069.16 grams.
- Nearly all infants (97.6%) received supplementary oxygen, and 27.7% had PDA, with most treated medically.
Conclusions:
- Severe ROP demonstrated a direct correlation with lower birth weight and shorter gestational age.
- Suboptimal weekly weight gain (94.62±75.64 grams) in ROP infants compared to WHO recommendations (140-210 grams) may be associated with ROP development and severity.
- Further prospective studies are needed to identify risk factors, emphasizing the importance of international screening and follow-up criteria for preterm infants.
Background:
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a preventable and treatable vasoproliferative disorder of the retina which develops mostly in preterm babies. It is a leading cause of childhood blindness and more common in under developed countries. Prevalence of the severe ROP is 7.7% in Pakistan. We reviewed the characteristics of preterm babies with severe ROP to evaluate the predictors of sight threatening ROP.
Methods:
Our study was conducted at the NICU of Aga Khan University Hospital which is a tertiary care private sector hospital in Karachi. Ninety-seven cases of severe ROP were found out of which 83 cases were enrolled. Data on determinants for ROP were collected including gestational age, birth weight, weight gain at two and four weeks, h/o blood transfusion, supplementary oxygen, presence of PDA and its treatment. Data analysis was done by using SPSS version 20.0.
Results:
Frequency of severe ROP in our cohort was 5.95%. Mean gestational age for severe ROP was 28.27±1.79 and mean birth weight was 1069.16±271.71 grams. The overall mean weight gain per week in these babies was 94.62±75.64 grams. Supplementary oxygen was provided in almost 100% (82/83 cases) of cases. Surfactant was given to 56.6 % babies. PDA was found in 23 cases out of which 19 were treated by medical therapy whereas surgical treatment was done in 4 cases.
Conclusions:
Severe Retinopathy of prematurity was directly correlated with low birth weight, and gestational age. An average, weight gain in four weeks was lower in ROP babies (94.62±75.64 grams) than the recommended weight gain (WHO recommended 140-210 gm per week). This could be associated with the development and severity of ROP requiring treatment. Therefore, a prospective case control study is required to further identify risk factors associated with the above cohort. Screening and follow up of all such babies according to the international criteria is the need of the day.
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