Prevalence and Risk Factors of Retinopathy of Prematurity in Iran

PURPOSE: The present study aimed to evaluate the frequency and risk factors of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) among Iranian infants. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on infants who had undergone screening for ROP at Farabi Eye Hospital, between March 2016 and March 2017. Data were analyzed based on the presence of extreme prematurity (gestational age [Formula: see text] 28 weeks), extremely low-birth-weight ([Formula: see text] 1000 g), and multiple-gestation (MG) infants. RESULTS: The prevalence of ROP was 27.28% ([Formula: see text] = 543) among all screened infants, 74.4% for extremely preterm (EP) infants, 77.5% for extremely low birth weight (ELBW) babies, and 27.25% for infants from MG pregnancies. On multivariate analysis, gestational age, birth weight, and history of transfusion ([Formula: see text] < 0.0001, [Formula: see text] < 0.0001, and [Formula: see text] = 0.04, respectively) were found to be significantly associated with ROP. More advanced stages of ROP ([Formula: see text] < 0.0001) were observed in EP and ELBW infants. Birth weight ([Formula: see text] = 0.088), history of transfusion ([Formula: see text] = 0.066), and intubation ([Formula: see text] = 0.053) were not associated with increased risk of ROP in EP infants, while gestational age ([Formula: see text] = 0.037) and history of transfusion ([Formula: see text] = 0.040) were significant risk factors for ROP in ELBW infants. Gestational age (P < 0.001) and birth weight ([Formula: see text] = 0.001) were significantly associated with ROP in infants from MG pregnancies in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: ROP remains a commonly encountered disease, especially in ELBW and EP infants. The history of transfusion may have a role in stratifying the risk for ROP and guiding future screening guidelines.