Chronic Placental Inflammation as a Risk Factor of Severe Retinopathy of Prematurity

BACKGROUND: Chronic placental inflammation (CPI) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diseases in premature infants, whereas retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a major complication primarily affecting preterm and very low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants. This study aims to investigate the association between CPI and ROP in VLBW infants. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of clinical records of VLBW infants born between 2013 and 2016. Placental pathology findings including CPI cases were analyzed using logistic regression to study infants’ morbidities and other clinical characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 402 infants with a mean (standard deviation) gestational age of 28.5 (2.8) weeks and birth weight of 1,027.2 (304.4) g were included. The incidence of ROP was 24.1%. CPI was found in 90 infants (22.4%), among which 28.9% (26 of 90) developed ROP, and 21.1% (19 of 90) underwent laser photocoagulation. Lower gestational age, lower birth weight, longer duration of oxygen supply, and presence of CPI were associated with the development of ROP. After adjustment for gestational age, birth weight, sex, duration of oxygen supply, and other overlapping placental pathology, CPI was associated with the odds for type 1 ROP that required laser photocoagulation (adjusted odds ratio, 2.739; 95% confidence interval, 1.112 to 6.749; p = .029). CONCLUSIONS: CPI was associated with severe ROP requiring treatment with laser photocoagulation in VLBW infants.