title: Maternal Iron Deficiency Anemia as a Risk Factor for the Development of Retinopathy of Prematurity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Retinopathy of prematurity is a proliferative vascular disease affecting premature newborns and occurs during vessel development and maturation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the maternal iron deficiency anemia as possible risk factors associated with the development of retinopathy of prematurity among premature or very low birth weight infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, mothers of 254 infants with retinopathy of prematurity were analyzed retrospectively, and their laboratory results of medical records during pregnancy were reviewed for possible iron deficiency anemia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In a cohort of 254 mothers of premature infants with retinopathy of prematurity, 187 (73.6%) had iron deficiency, while the remaining 67 (26.4%) mothers had no deficiency. Babies born to mothers with iron deficiency anemia with markedly decreased hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, serum iron, and ferritin levels were more likely to develop retinopathy of prematurity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results are the first to suggest that maternal iron deficiency is a risk factor for the development of retinopathy of prematurity. Our data suggest that maternal iron supplementation therapy during pregnancy might lower the risk of retinopathy of prematurity.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Gaziantep, Gaziantep, Turkey. Electronic address: dai.alper@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alper I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Gaziantep, Gaziantep, Turkey.
authors.forename: Seniz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Demiryürek
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Gaziantep, Gaziantep, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sefika Nur
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Aksoy
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Gaziantep, Gaziantep, Turkey.
authors.forename: Peren
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Perk
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Gaziantep, Gaziantep, Turkey.
authors.forename: Oguzhan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Saygili
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Gaziantep, Gaziantep, Turkey.
authors.forename: Kivanc
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Güngör
mesh_terms: D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012178:Retinopathy of Prematurity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: anemia; iron deficiency; premature infants; retinopathy of prematurity