title: Prevalence of and risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity in a cohort of preterm infants treated exclusively with non-invasive ventilation in the first week after birth.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the current prevalence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in premature babies treated with non-invasive ventilation at Tygerberg Children's Hospital, Parow, Cape Town, South Africa, and to identify risk factors associated with the development of ROP.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective medical records review of infants screened for ROP during a 2-year period (January 2009 - December 2010). Infants who did not receive invasive ventilation during the first week of life were included. Twenty-four previously reported risk factors for the development of ROP were identified for use in a multivariate logistic regression (MLR) analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 356 patients were included. The overall prevalence of ROP was 21.8% and that of clinically significant ROP (CSROP) 4.4%. The risk factors with a statistically significant association with the development of ROP on MLR analysis were severe apnoea (p=0.0005) and decreasing birth weight (p=0.0382).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a low prevalence of ROP in the cohort of preterm infants treated exclusively with non-invasive ventilation in the first week of life. The risk factors of importance in our population were severe apnoea and lower birth weight. Birth weight is a practical and reproducible variable that can be used to aid development of ROP screening criteria.
authors: Tygerberg Children's Hospital and Department of Paediatrics, Stellenbosch University, Parow, Cape Town, South Africa. rina1077@gmail.com
authors: S K
authors: SK
authors: Van der Merwe
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Freeman
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Bekker
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Harvey
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Smith
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D008297:Male; D063087:Noninvasive Ventilation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015995:Prevalence; D012178:Retinopathy of Prematurity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology