Weight predicts eye disease in preterm babies

Weekly weight measurements can accurately predict which preterm babies are likely to develop retinopathy of prematurity, a potentially blinding condition that requires treatment.Retinopathy of prematurity, which often develops within weeks after birth, causes excess blood vessels to spread throughout the retina, the light-sensing tissue at the back of the eye. This overgrowth may result in reduced vision or even blindness. Researchers from Sweden examined 353 children to confirm that through simple weight testing it was possible to identify infants who were at risk for developing retinopathy of prematurity. The weight of infants was measured on a weekly basis from the date of birth to 36 postmenstrual week, which gave an alarm when the rate of weight gain decreased to a certain level. It was found that, out of 353 children, 127 i.e. 36% children gave no alarming sign, 40% children gave low risk alarm after 32 postmenstrual week. None of those children developed retinopathy of prematurity requiring treatment. Of the remaining 24% children, who gave high or low risk before 32 postmenstrual weeks, 41% developed proliferative retinopathy of prematurity and 29% were treated because of sight threatening disease. The median time from alarm to treatment was 9 weeks.The findings suggest that both a low birth-weight and a slowdown in weight gain increase the risk of the disease. The researchers suggest that infants must undergo a series of eye examinations to identify the roughly 1 in 10 with eye disease who would benefit from treatment.