Rate of and Risk Factors Associated with Retinopathy of Prematurity: A Prospective Study from Kuwait

Objective: To determine the rate of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) among a population of preterm infants in Kuwait, and to review the risk factors associated with the disease. Methodology: A prospective cohort study of all preterm infants of less than 2,000 g birth weight and/or 36 weeks gestational age who were screened for ROP during 1995 at the neonatal unit of the Maternity Hospital in Kuwait. The rate of and some of the possible risk factors associated with the disease were determined. Results: A total of 130 babies were screened of which 59 (45.4%) developed some stage of ROP. The frequency of blindness was 3 (2.3%). Low birth weight, oxygen therapy, patent ductus arteriosus, intraventricular hemorrhage and blood transfusion were the risk factors found to be associated with the disease. However, with logistic regression analysis, only low birth weight and oxygen were independently associated with ROP. Conclusion: The rate of ROP in our unit is not different from that of the other centers, and low birth weight and oxygen therapy are the main risk factors associated with the disease.