Prevalence and risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity in a tertiary care center in South India: A retrospective cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Purpose: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a vision-threatening proliferative vitreoretinopathy affecting premature infants, characterized by abnormal retinal vascular at the boundary of the vascularized and avascular peripheral retina, and is a leading cause of preventable childhood blindness worldwide. To identify the prevalence and the important risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity in a tertiary care hospital in South India. Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted in the ROP clinic at the ophthalmology outpatient department and neonatal intensive care unit at a tertiary care center in South India. Data from ROP screening done from April 2020 to April 2022 were collected. Results: A total of 509 infants (1018 eyes) satisfied the inclusion criteria. The overall mean birth weight and mean gestational age were 1515.2 g (±432.9) and 32.2 weeks (±2.9), respectively. One hundred and ninety-six babies out of 509 presented with some form of ROP, accounting for a prevalence of 38.5%. Only 14 eyes (3.6%) among the 382 eyes with any stage ROP required treatment. A total of 10 risk factors were evaluated and analyzed. Bivariate analysis and multivariate forward step-wise logistic regression analysis for the relevant risk factors were performed, and low birth weight and low gestational age were found to be strong predictors of ROP. Oxygen supplementation, multiple births, and exchange transfusion had strong statistical and clinical correlations with the development of ROP. This study portrays the severity of the problem and the current trend of risk factors associated with ROP in the region to help refine the screening guidelines to be more relevant to low- and middle-income nations. Conclusion: Oxygen supplementation, multiple births, and exchange transfusion had strong statistical and clinical correlation with the development of ROP. This study portrays the severity of the problem and the current trend of risk factors associated with ROP in the region to help refine the screening guidelines to be more relevant to low- and middle-income nations.