Retinopathy of Prematurity: A Study of Incidence and Risk Factors in a Tertiary Hospital in Vietnam

To determine the incidence and risk factors for the development of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Hue Central Hospital, Vietnam.

A prospective study was performed in 214 preterm infants with gestational age (GA) ≤33 weeks and/or ≤1800 grams of birth weight (BW) or infants with a GA >33 weeks and a BW >1800 grams with an unstable clinical course who were screened for ROP in Hue Central Hospital, Vietnam.

Fifty-eight infants (27.1%) developed ROP; 39.7% cases were stage 1, 34.5% cases were stage 2, and 25.8% cases were stage 3. Gestational age (GA), birth weight, anemia, sepsis, respiratory distress syndrome, total days on oxygen supplementation > 1 week, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), mechanical ventilation, blood transfusion, and surfactant had a significant association with ROP in univariate analysis (p<0.05). Using multivariate analysis, GA less than 32 weeks, sepsis, and CPAP/mechanical ventilation remained independent risk factors for ROP development.

The incidence of ROP in Vietnam was 27.1%. A GA less than 32 weeks, sepsis, and CPAP/mechanical ventilation are important risk factors for developing ROP.