Biomaterial Database

Is retinopathy of prematurity increasing among infants less than 1250 g birth weight? 2003

Maureen T O'Connor, and Betty R Vohr, and Richard Tucker, and William Cashore

Department of Pediatrics, Women and Infants' Hospital, Brown Medical School, Providence, RI 02905, USA.

OBJECTIVE Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a complication seen in many very low birth weight infants. Severe ROP has been called a "marker" for severe disability. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the occurrence and severity of ROP among infants < or =1250 g birth weight treated in the Special Care Nursery at Women & Infants' Hospital over a period of 7 years from 1994 to 2000. METHODS This was a retrospective review of ROP data combined with neonatal follow-up data. Of the 1002 infants born with birth weights <1250 g, ophthalmologic data were available for 739 of 839 survivors. Analysis of variance and chi2 along with logistic regression were used to analyze outcomes. RESULTS An increase in the overall occurrence of ROP was identified (40% to 54% linear trend, p=0.007). The occurrence of threshold ROP ranged from 2% to 5% (NS). Infants at greatest risk of ROP were those micropremies with birth weights <750 g (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Severe ROP continues to be a significant morbidity among infants <750 g.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007231	Infant, Newborn	An infant during the first 28 days after birth.	Neonate,Newborns,Infants, Newborn,Neonates,Newborn,Newborn Infant,Newborn Infants
D007234	Infant, Premature	A human infant born before 37 weeks of GESTATION.	Neonatal Prematurity,Premature Infants,Preterm Infants,Infant, Preterm,Infants, Premature,Infants, Preterm,Premature Infant,Prematurity, Neonatal,Preterm Infant
D008297	Male		Males
D010102	Oxygen Inhalation Therapy	Inhalation of oxygen aimed at restoring toward normal any pathophysiologic alterations of gas exchange in the cardiopulmonary system, as by the use of a respirator, nasal catheter, tent, chamber, or mask. (From Dorland, 27th ed & Stedman, 25th ed)	Inhalation Therapy, Oxygen,Therapy, Oxygen Inhalation,Inhalation Therapies, Oxygen,Oxygen Inhalation Therapies,Therapies, Oxygen Inhalation
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012178	Retinopathy of Prematurity	A bilateral retinopathy occurring in premature infants treated with excessively high concentrations of oxygen, characterized by vascular dilatation, proliferation, and tortuosity, edema, and retinal detachment, with ultimate conversion of the retina into a fibrous mass that can be seen as a dense retrolental membrane. Usually growth of the eye is arrested and may result in microophthalmia, and blindness may occur. (Dorland, 27th ed)	Retrolental Fibroplasia,Fibroplasia, Retrolental,Fibroplasias, Retrolental,Prematurity Retinopathies,Prematurity Retinopathy,Retrolental Fibroplasias
D012189	Retrospective Studies	Studies used to test etiologic hypotheses in which inferences about an exposure to putative causal factors are derived from data relating to characteristics of persons under study or to events or experiences in their past. The essential feature is that some of the persons under study have the disease or outcome of interest and their characteristics are compared with those of unaffected persons.	Retrospective Study,Studies, Retrospective,Study, Retrospective
D015995	Prevalence	The total number of cases of a given disease in a specified population at a designated time. It is differentiated from INCIDENCE, which refers to the number of new cases in the population at a given time.	Period Prevalence,Point Prevalence,Period Prevalences,Point Prevalences,Prevalence, Period,Prevalence, Point,Prevalences
D016015	Logistic Models	Statistical models which describe the relationship between a qualitative dependent variable (that is, one which can take only certain discrete values, such as the presence or absence of a disease) and an independent variable. A common application is in epidemiology for estimating an individual's risk (probability of a disease) as a function of a given risk factor.	Logistic Regression,Logit Models,Models, Logistic,Logistic Model,Logistic Regressions,Logit Model,Model, Logistic,Model, Logit,Models, Logit,Regression, Logistic,Regressions, Logistic