Prenatal and postnatal inflammation-related risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between prenatal and postnatal inflammation-related risk factors and severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

STUDY DESIGN: The study included infants born <30 weeks in California from 2007 to 2011. Multivariable log-binomial regression was used to assess the association between prenatal and postnatal inflammation-related exposures and severe ROP, defined as stage 3-5 or surgery for ROP.

RESULTS: Of 14,816 infants, 10.8% developed severe ROP. Though prenatal inflammation-related risk factors were initially associated with severe ROP, after accounting for the effect of these risk factors on gestational age at birth through mediation analysis, the association was non-significant (P = 0.6). Postnatal factors associated with severe ROP included prolonged oxygen exposure, sepsis, intraventricular hemorrhage, and necrotizing enterocolitis.

CONCLUSION: Postnatal inflammation-related factors were associated with severe ROP more strongly than prenatal factors. The association between prenatal inflammation-related factors and ROP was explained by earlier gestational age in infants exposed to prenatal inflammation.