ABSTRACT

Objective:

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a retinal vascular disease caused by abnormal proliferation of retinal vessels in premature babies and is the leading cause of childhood blindness. The aim of this study is to determine ROP incidence and risk factors.

Material and Methods:

Of 385 infants who were admitted to Süleymaniye Training and Research Hospital ROP diagnosis center between March 2015 and February 2016, 777 eyes were retrospectively evaluated. Infants with gestational age at birth less than 34 weeks and birth weight less than 1500 grams, who received oxygen therapy between 34 and 37 weeks of corrected gestational age and were guided for ROP examination by pediatricians were evaluated. All infants referred to our clinic were followed up until retinal vascular development was completed. Despite being followed up in our clinic, infants born in other hospitals whose epicrises were not obtained, were excluded from the study.

Results:

ROP was diagnosed in 23.1% of all infants. Stage 1 ROP was diagnosed in 14.5%, stage 2 ROP in 5.7%, stage 3 ROP in 2.9% of all infants. Plus disease was detected in 11.8% of infants with ROP, aggressive posterior ROP disease was detected in 4.8%. ROP was observed in 12.5% of 104 infants who had 34-37 weeks of gestational age at birth and received oxygen therapy. The 8.7% of these patients had stage 1 ROP, 3.8% had stage 2 ROP, while none of these infants was detected with stage 3 and further ROP. ROP was observed in 21.0% of 143 infants with gestational ages at birth between 32 and 34 weeks. In 138 infants less than gestational age of 32 weeks at birth, ROP was 33.3%. The prevalence of ROP was 48.9% in infants with less than 1251 gr of birth weight. ROP rates were 39.2% in 130 infants with birth weight of 1500 gr, and 15.0% in 194 infants with birth weight between 1500 gr and 2500 grams. ROP was observed in15.6% of 224 infants who had more than 31 gestation weeks and more than 1499 gram of birth weight.

Conclusion:

In our study, ROP is defined in 41.7% of infants below 1500 grams. The prevalence of ROP is determined 27.0% in infants whose gestational age was less than 34 weeks. Besides, although the majority of severe ROP is observed under 32 weeks and in preterms less than 1500 grams, it is observed in a small percentage between 32-34 weeks of gestational age at birth, and over 1500 grams of birth weight. Birth weight is determined as the major risk factor in our study. On the other hand, birth week and oxygen therapy are also risk factors but not as major as birth weight. Although there is a correlation between ROP incidence and daily weight gain of preterms, it is not clinically significant.