Poor postnatal weight gain predicts stage 3+ retinopathy of prematurity in very low birth weight infants.

Multiple systemic risk factors are associated with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). We analyzed the role of low weight gain (WG) to predict the development of stage 3+ ROP among preterm infants. This study included 126 newborns with birth weight ≤1500 g and gestational age <32 weeks. Preterm newborn infants were divided into two groups according to severity of ROP as: preterm infants without ROP or mild ROP (Group 1) and preterm infants with stage 3+ ROP (Group 2). WG and WG proportion were measured at completed 4 and 6 weeks of life. The patients under the cut-off point according to receiver operating characteristic curve were classified as low WG patients. WG and WG proportion were significantly lower in Group 2 than in Group 1 at the 4th and 6th weeks of life. We concluded that low WG and WG proportion at the 4th and 6th weeks of life were predictive for the development of stage 3+ ROP. Preterm babies with low birth weight and low WG should be followed closely for severe ROP.