Neonatal ibuprofen exposure and bronchopulmonary dysplasia in extremely premature infants.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association of ibuprofen exposure with the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in extremely premature infants.

STUDY

DESIGN

This was a retrospective study of all extremely premature infants admitted to a tertiary unit from 2016 to 2018.

RESULTS

A total of 203 extremely premature infants were included in this study. The rate of BPD was significantly higher in infants with early exposure to ibuprofen (42.5%) compared to infants with no exposure (21.6%, P = 0.001). After adjusting for covariates, the risk of BPD was associated independently with ibuprofen exposure (odds ratios (OR) 2.296, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.166-4.522, p = 0.016). Further analysis showed a trend towards higher risk of BPD in infants with successful patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure after ibuprofen treatment (32.3%) compared to non-treated infants (20.2%, p = 0.162).

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that ibuprofen exposure may contribute to the occurrence of BPD in extremely preterm infants.