The Epidemiology of Retinopathy of Prematurity in the United States

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of blindness in premature and low birth weight infants. Here, the authors examine the incidence of ROP in the United States and evaluate risk factors associated with ROP development. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The National Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database was queried for all newborns with and without ROP. Adjusted odds ratios were constructed for predictors of ROP using multivariate logistic regression modeling. RESULTS: The incidence of ROP increased from 14.70% in 2000 to 19.88% in 2012. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that female gender, birth weight, and gestational age predicted ROP. The frequency of ROP was 2.40% in newborns weighing more than 2,500 grams (g) and 30.22% in newborns with a birth weight between 750 g and 999 g. CONCLUSIONS: The authors' report examines a nationwide cohort of ROP infants and reveals an increase in the incidence of ROP from 2000 to 2012. This trend is inversely related to a simultaneous decline in newborn mortality.