Eleven years of retinopathy of prematurity in one neonatal intensive care unit in Jakarta, Indonesia.

BACKGROUND

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a well-known complication in preterm infants. Data on the incidence of ROP in Indonesia, in relation to birth weight (BW) and gestational age (GA), are limited.

OBJECTIVE

To report the incidence of ROP in one of the oldest and largest neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Indonesia.

METHODS

We studied the incidence and severity of ROP in inborn infants with a BW of ≤1500 g and/or GA of ≤32 weeks, who were admitted to the NICU of Harapan Kita Women and Children Hospital, Jakarta. In addition, infants with a higher BW and GA, receiving more than 40% oxygen for a longer period, were screened.

RESULTS

In 2005-2015, 182 infants were born with a BW of <1000 g and 437 with a weight of 1000-1500 g. In the <1000 g group, 27 (46%) of the screened infants showed no ROP, 22 (37%) showed ROP 1-2 and 10 (17%) showed ROP 3-5. In the 1000-1500 g group, 172 (68%) were without ROP, 71 (28%) with ROP 1-2 and nine (4%) with ROP 3-5. Twenty-two (13%) of the 163 screened infants weighing 1500-2000 g showed ROP 1-2 and two (1.2%) had ROP 3-5. Eight (18%) of the 44 screened infants born with a BW of more than 2000 g showed ROP 1-2 and none showed ROP 3-5.

CONCLUSION

The total incidence of ROP as well as severe ROP in infants with a BW of <1000 g and 1000-1500 g in our NICU is higher than in a developed country. ROP in Indonesia is also seen in infants with a BW of 1500-2500 g. Increasing the awareness of the risks of oxygen as well as better equipment to monitor oxygen delivery is essential.