rss
Br J Ophthalmol 1992;76:284-288 doi:10.1136/bjo.76.5.284
  • Research Article

Onset of retinopathy of prematurity as related to postnatal and postconceptional age.

  1. G E Quinn,
  2. L Johnson and
  3. S Abbasi
  1. Division of Newborn Pediatrics, Pennsylvania Hospital.

      Abstract

      The hypothesis that both perinatal events and stage of retinal development are important factors in determining the age at onset of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) was tested by comparing gestational age at birth with postnatal and postconceptional age when ROP (using ICROP) was first seen. The study population consisted of 207 infants (111 placebo (P) treated, 96 vitamin E (E) treated) who developed ROP among a group of 914 premature infants (460 P, 454 E) enrolled in a randomised clinical trial of the effect of prophylactic use of vitamin E at pharmacological serum levels on incidence and severity of retinopathy. The mean postnatal age at onset of retinopathy was delayed in E treated infants compared with P treated infants by 1.4 weeks (t = 4.004, p < 0.0001). For both P and E treated infants postnatal age at onset of ROP (which reflects the state of retinal development at which birth insults occur) and postconceptional age at onset of ROP which defines state of maturity) were correlated with gestational age at birth. This suggests that both the event of premature birth and the extent of retinal development are important in determining when ROP will first be observed.

      This Article

      1. Abstract
      2. PDF

      Responses

      1. Submit a response
      2. No responses published

      Register for free content

      The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

      Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.