Prorenin Levels in Retinopathy of Prematurity

Purpose: To evaluate serum prorenin levels in preterm infants with or without retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Design: Noncomparative retrospective case control study. Methods: Serum prorenin levels in children with a gestational age younger than 36 weeks were measured with antibody-activating direct enzyme kinetic assay. Results: The mean prorenin concentrations were higher in preterm infants with ROP than in infants without ROP at every time point: from 26 to 30 weeks, 2326 ± 334 μg/ml (mean ± SE [standard error]) (n = 3) and 1164 ± 234 μg/ml (n = 3), respectively (P < .05); from 31 to 35 weeks, 1760 ± 496 μg/ml (n = 10) and 957.1 ± 139 μg/ml (n = 25) (P < .05); from 36 to 40 weeks, 958.2 ± 194.2 μg/ml (n = 23) and 470.1 ± 32.6 μg/ml (n = 67) (P < .01); and from 41 to 45 weeks, 575.8 ± 148.4 (n = 9) and 385.6 ± 47.9 (n = 13), which is not significantly different. Conclusions: Prorenin levels in preterm infants can predict which infants will develop ROP. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]