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Published on: November 20, 2015
Severe Retinopathy of Prematurity Associated With Neurodevelopmental Disorder in Children
Young-Jin Choi1, Eun Hee Hong2, Yong Un Shin2,3
1Department of Pediatrics, Hanyang University Guri Hospital, Guri, South Korea.
Insights
Severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is linked to neurodevelopmental disorders in premature infants. This association is stronger with increased ROP severity, even without other risk factors.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Developmental pediatrics
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Premature infants are at risk for developmental delays.
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a common complication in premature infants.
- The independent association between ROP severity and neurodevelopmental disorders requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in premature infants.
- To investigate this association in the absence of other known risk factors for developmental delay.
- To analyze the correlation between ROP severity and developmental delay.
Main Methods:
- Utilized health claims data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (2007-2018).
- Included 18,256 premature infants born between 2007-2008 without congenital anomalies or birth injuries.
- Categorized infants by gestational age and ROP severity (mild vs. severe) and analyzed using regression analysis.
Main Results:
- Developmental delay prevalence was higher in infants with severe ROP compared to those with mild ROP.
- Extremely premature infants with severe ROP showed a 3.082-fold higher association with neurodevelopmental complications (p < 0.001).
- Other premature infants with severe ROP had a 3.269-fold higher association with neurodevelopmental complications compared to mild ROP.
Conclusions:
- The severity of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a significant associated factor for neurodevelopmental disorders in premature infants.
- This association persists even in the absence of other common risk factors.
- Findings highlight the importance of monitoring neurodevelopmental outcomes in premature infants with severe ROP.
Objective:
This study aimed to investigate whether severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) could be an association factor for neurodevelopmental disorders in premature infants without other risk factors-such as congenital anomalies, birth injuries, and neurological diseases-that may cause developmental delay.
Methods:
We used health claims data recorded between 2007 and 2018 in the Korean National Health Insurance Service (KNHIS) database. We recruited a total of 18,256 premature infant born between 2007 and 2008 without congenital anomaly or birth injury (with ROP 6,995, without ROP 11,261) and divided them into four groups as follows: Group A, 209 extremely premature infants [gestational age (GA) < 28] with mild ROP; Group B, 75 extremely premature infants (GA < 28) with severe ROP; Group C, 6,510 other premature infants (28 ≤ GA <37)with mild ROP; and Group D, 201 other premature infants (28 ≤ GA < 37) with severe ROP. Using regression analysis, we analyzed whether there was a correlation between ROP prevalence, severity, and developmental delay in premature infants without other risk factors.
Results:
The prevalence of developmental delay, according to GA and ROP severity, was higher in patients with severe ROP than in the other patients. The prevalence gradually decreased after birth. Among extremely premature infants with ROP, those with severe ROP had a 3.082-fold higher association with neurodevelopmental complications than those with mild ROP (p < 0.001). Compared with other premature infants with ROP, those with severe ROP had a 3.269-fold higher association with neurodevelopmental complications than those with mild ROP.
Conclusion:
The severity of ROP may be associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in premature infants.
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