Changes in the Incidence of Retinopathy of Prematurity in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants in South China From 2004 to 2018

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To report the changes in incidence and risk factors of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants over a 15-year period in South China.

Methods: The medical records of ELBW infants were retrospectively reviewed through established database of Shenzhen Screening for ROP Cooperative Group. The incidence and severity of ROP were compared among three successive 5-year periods (P1: 2004–2008, P2: 2009–2013, P3: 2014–2018). Gestational age, birth weight, plurality, mode of delivery and gender were analyzed as risk factors for ROP in ELBW infants.

Results: Among the 1099 included ELBW infants, 557 (50.7%) had ROP, and 328 (29.9%) had severe ROP. The highest incidence of ROP (87.5%) and severe ROP (82.5%) were seen in P1. From P2 to P3, the incidence of ROP and severe ROP increased from 45.9% to 50.3% for ROP (P < .05) and from 26.4% to 28.3% for severe ROP (P < .05), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis found only gestational age has a significant effect on the incidence of ROP and severe ROP.

Conclusions: From 2004 to 2018, the incidence of ROP and severe ROP in ELBW infants in South China was 50.7% and 29.9%, respectively. Controlling for the other risk factors, only gestational age was statistically associated with ROP in ELBW infants.

KEYWORDS:

• Extremely low birth weight infants
• retinopathy of prematurity
• incidence
• risk factors

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the medical and nursing staff of Shenzhen Eye Hospital for their ongoing dedication in ROP screening. The authors also acknowledge the dedication of other members of the Shenzhen Screening for ROP Cooperative Group. They are NICUs of the followed hospitals: Shenzhen People’s Hospital, The Second People’s Hospital of Shenzhen, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, The University of Hongkong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Shenzhen Luohu District People’s Hospital, Shenzhen Luohu Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Shenzhen Nanshan Hospital, Nanshan Maternity and Child Health Hospital of Shenzhen, The People’s Hospital of Baoan Shenzhen, Shenzhen Baoan Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Shenzhen Songgang People’s Hospital, Shenzhen Baoan Shajing People’s Hospital, Longgang District People’s Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen Longgang District Maternity and Child Health Hospital, People’s Hospital of New District Longhua Shenzhen, Shenzhen Gongming People’s Hospital, Shenzhen Guangming New District People’s Hospital.

Disclosure of interest

None of the following authors have any proprietary interests or conflicts of interest related to this submission.

Data availability statement

The dataset generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

This submission has not been published anywhere previously and that it is not simultaneously being considered for any other publication (https://osf.io/8uqmg/?view_only=e8b9dbe8c3944189af04dc073f5970cb).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Committee, P.R. China, under Grant No. [GJHZ20160229170623135]; and Health and Family Planning Commission of Shenzhen Municipality, P.R. China, under Grant No. [201501038].