title: Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 in preterm infants with retinopathy of prematurity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is the main cause of visual impairment in preterm newborn infants.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was conducted to determine whether insulin-like growth factor binding protein -3 (IGFBP-3) is associated with proliferative ROP and has a role in pathogenesis of the disease in premature infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 71 preterm infants born at or before 32 weeks of gestation participated in this study. Studied patients consisted of 41 neonates without vaso-proliferative findings of ROP as the control group and 30 preterm infants with evidence of severe ROP in follow up eye examination as the case group. Blood samples obtained from these infants 6-8 weeks after birth and blood levels of IGFBP-3 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean gestation age and birth weight of the studied patients were 28.2 ± 1.6 weeks and 1120.7 ± 197 gram in the case group and 28.4 ± 1.6 weeks and 1189.4 ± 454 gram in the control group (P=0.25 and P=0.44 respectively). The infants in the case group had significantly lower Apgar score at first and 5 min after birth. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein -3 (IGFBP-3) was significantly lower in the patients with proliferative ROP than the patients without ROP [592.5 ± 472.9 vs. 995.5 ± 422.2 ng/ml (P=0.009)]. Using a cut-off point 770.45 ng/ml for the plasma IGFBP-3, we obtained a sensitivity of 65.9% and a specificity of 66.7% in the preterm infants with vasoproliferative ROP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data demonstrated that the blood levels IGFBP-3 was significantly lower in the patients with ROP and it is suspected that IGFBP-3 deficiency in the premature infants may have a pathogenetic role in proliferative ROP.
authors.affiliation: Women's Reproductive Health Research Center, Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Manizheh Mostafa
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gharehbaghi
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peirovifar
authors.forename: Karim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sadeghi
authors.forename: Haleh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mostafidi
mesh_terms: D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000097:blood*; D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D012178:Retinopathy of Prematurity / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3