Risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity: a systematic review

ABSTRACT To describe the prevalence of risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity and respective stages. Retrospective data were extracted from original articles addressing risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity retrieved from Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Virtual Health Library (VHL) and National Library of Medicine - NLM (PubMed) databases. In the initial search, 186 articles were found. Following title and abstract reading and application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 25 articles were selected for this analysis. Variables of interest varied widely between studies. Gestational age and birth weight were listed as risk factors in all studies. Gender analysis revealed small gender-related differences, since approximately 52.9% of affected neonates were males and 47.1% females. As to race/color, approximately 72.7% were white, 12% were brown and 2.7% were black. However, there is a lack of consensus over the significance of these factors. The study revealed that retinopathy of prematurity is a multifactorial disease primarily associated with prematurity, low birth weight and oxygen therapy. Albeit potentially avoidable and reversible, the incidence of the condition is high. Therefore, further studies along the same lines are needed for deeper understanding of risk factors for or retinopathy of prematurity and mitigation of long-term consequences.