Publication
Title
Prevalence and pattern of retinopathy of prematurity at two national referral hospitals in Uganda : a cross-sectional study
Author
Abstract
Background Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of blindness in children and an ROP epidemic is predicted this decade in sub-Saharan Africa. With the increasing survival rate of preterm babies in Uganda, and no data on ROP prevalence, there is a need to assess the burden of ROP to inform preventive strategies and targeted screening.Methods We conducted a two-center cross-sectional study of preterm (< 37 weeks gestational age) infants from the neonatal units of Kawempe National Referral Hospital (KNRH) and Mulago Specialised Women and Neonatal Hospital (MSWNH) from August 2022 to October 2022. An ophthalmologist examined all participants using an indirect ophthalmoscope with a + 20D convex lens and captured digital images using a Volk iNview (TM) Fundus Camera. The collected data were entered into Epidata 4.2 and exported to Stata 14.0 for analysis.Results 331 preterm infants enrolled in this study. The oxygen received was unblended. The mean gestational age was 30.4 +/- 2.7 weeks, and the mean birth weight was 1597 +/- 509 g. 18/101 (17.8%) were found to have any ROP amongst the preterm infants recruited from MSWNH, 1/230 (0.4%) from KNRH [95% CI] had any stage of ROP (i.e. stage 5). Of these, 8 (42.1%) had stage 2 ROP. Infants with a birth weight below 1500 g were 10 times more likely to have ROP than those among infants with a birth weight more than 1500 g [AOR: 10.07 (2.71-37.44)]. Infants who were not fed exclusively on breast milk had higher odds of having ROP than those exclusively fed on breast milk [AOR: 7.82(1.92-31.82)].Conclusion 6% of preterm infants born in two tertiary hospitals in Uganda were found to have ROP. Lack of exclusive feeding on breast milk and birth weight of less than 1500 g were strong predictors of ROP. The higher prevalence of ROP in MSWNH calls for cautious use of oxygen among preterms. We recommend targeted ROP screening for those at risk.
Language
English
Source (journal)
BMC ophthalmology. - London
Publication
London : 2023
ISSN
1471-2415
DOI
10.1186/S12886-023-03195-7
Volume/pages
23 :1 (2023) , p. 1-9
Article Reference
478
ISI
001108562200003
Pubmed ID
37993817
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 09.01.2024
Last edited 25.04.2024
To cite this reference