Fungal and bacterial sepsis and threshold ROP in preterm very low birth weight neonates.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether an association exists between either fungal or bacterial sepsis and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

STUDY

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study on all neonates with birth weight <1500 g admitted to a large Italian third Level Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the years 1997-2001 and screened for ROP. Univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression were used to detect significant associations with ROP (all grades and threshold) in neonates with birth weight<1000 g (extremely low birth weight (ELBW)) and 1000-1500 g.

RESULTS

Among 301 enrolled neonates, ROP (all grades), threshold ROP, fungal and bacterial sepsis occurred in 31.9, 12.9, 11.6 and 40.5% of the infants, respectively. At multivariate analysis, only gestational age (P=0.03), colonization by Candida non-albicans spp (P=0.03) and fungal sepsis (P=0.03) were independent predictors of threshold ROP, and only in ELBW neonates.

CONCLUSIONS

Fungal (but not bacterial) sepsis is significantly and independently associated with ROP, but only in ELBW neonates and only with threshold ROP.