Retinopathy of prematurity in infants with birth weight above 1500 grams

Objective: To identify the rate and prognosis of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) among newborn infants of birthweight of above 1500 grams, and the po ssible risk factors associated with the disease. Design: A prospective cohort study. Setting: Neonatal unit at Maternity Hospital, Kuwait city, Kuwait. Methods: All low birth weight infants were examined for the presence of ROP in the period between January 1996 to December 1997. Prospective collectio n of data on babies who were above 1500 grams was done to find an associati on between the disease in these babies and some of the maternal and neonata l risk factors. Results: A total of 68 babies of birth weight above 1500 grams were screene d for ROP out of which 13 (19.1%) had different stages of the disease. None of the patients had threshold disease requiring surgery. Among the risk fa ctors chosen, oxygen therapy, presence of hypotension at birth and the non- use of surfactant were the only risk factors to be associated with disease. However, with logistic regression analysis, none of these were independent ly associated with ROP. Conclusion: ROP may occur in newborn infants of larger birthweight but with good prognosis, and oxygen therapy seems to predispose to the disease.