Abstract
BACKGROUND: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a disordered retinal blood vessel growth in preterm infants sustained in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to identify the risk factors linked to the occurrence of ROP in preterm infants. METHODS: This study was a prospective longitudinal study involving neonates hospitalized in the NICU at Shri Mahant Indiresh Hospital, Dehradun, India, from December 2018 to December 2019. A total of 320 preterm neonates were admitted, with only 113 included in our study due to the absence of parental permission, patients leaving against medical advice, or failure to attend follow-up appointments. RESULTS: In our study, 51 (45.13%) newborns developed ROP, while 62 (54.87%) did not, resulting in an incidence of 45.13%. Among 37 children diagnosed with hyaline membrane disease (HMD), 25 (67.57%) tested positive for ROP. Fifty percent of infants with an appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration(APGAR) score of 6 or lower at one minute had retinopathy, in contrast to just 32.69% of those with a score greater than 6. Anemia and the transfusion of blood products emerged as significant risk factors for the onset of retinal detachment. Meningitis was also identified as a significant risk factor for the development of retinopathy. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that low gestational age, low birth weight, HMD, oxygen therapy, and acute ophthalmopathy are independent risk factors associated with ROP development. Additional risk factors such as low APGAR score, anemia, surfactant therapy, abnormal cranial ultrasound, and blood product transfusion should be considered when monitoring preterm babies.