title: Birth weight is the most important predictor of abnormal retinal vascularisation in moderately preterm infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To find predictors of abnormal retinal vascularisation in moderately to late preterm newborn infants considered to have no risk of developing retinopathy of prematurity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-eight infants (34 girls) were recruited from a longitudinal study of otherwise healthy premature children born at a gestational age of 32 + 0-36 + 6 weeks. Retinal vessel morphology was evaluated at mean postnatal age 7 days. Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels were analysed in umbilical cord blood.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 78 infants, 21 (27%) had abnormal retinal vessel morphology; they had significantly lower median (range) birth weight [1850 g, (1190-3260), vs. 2320, (1330-3580), p < 0.0001], shorter birth length [43.0 cm, (38-49), vs. 46.0, (40-50), p < 0.0001] and smaller head circumference [31.0 cm, (27.7-34.0), vs. 32.0, (27.5-36.5), p = 0.003]. They also had significantly lower gestational age [34 + 1 weeks, (32 + 2-35 + 3), vs. 34 + 6, (32 + 2-36 + 6), p = 0.004] and mean ± SD IGF-I levels (24.6 ± 17.0 μg/L vs. 46.7 ± 21.5, p < 0.0001). A higher percentage of these infants were small for gestational age (57.1% vs. 15.8%, p = 0.001), and maternal hypertension/preeclampsia rates were also higher (47.6% vs. 19.3%, p = 0.03). Step-wise logistic regression showed that birth weight was the strongest predictor of abnormal retinal vascularisation (p < 0.0001, odds ratio 0.040, 95% confidence interval 0.007-0.216).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this population of moderately to late preterm newborns, birth weight appeared to affect the retinal vascular system.
authors: Gothenburg Pediatric Growth Research Center (GP-GRC), Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and The Queen Silvia Children's Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Allvin
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Hellström
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Dahlgren
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Andersson Grönlund
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D011254:Pregnancy in Diabetics; D015861:Retinal Neovascularization / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden
chemical_list: D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I
keywords: Birth size; Insulin-like growth factor-I; Pre-eclampsia; Retinal vascularisation; Small for gestational age