Objective:
To investigate the association between maternal diabetes and the risk of severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in premature infants.
Key Findings:
- 10% of infants developed Stage 3–5 ROP, a vision-threatening condition.
- Maternal diabetes was present in approximately 9% of pregnancies.
- Infants exposed to maternal diabetes had nearly three times the odds of developing severe ROP.
- Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes significantly increased the odds of severe ROP by over sixfold.
- Gestational diabetes showed a weaker, non-significant association with severe ROP.
Interpretation:
Maternal diabetes may be an under-recognized risk factor for ROP progression, suggesting a need for revised screening strategies that include maternal metabolic history.
Limitations:
- The study does not establish causality between maternal diabetes and ROP.
- Findings may not be generalizable beyond the studied population.
Conclusion:
Incorporating maternal diabetes exposure into ROP screening decisions could enhance early identification of at-risk infants, especially as survival rates for extremely premature infants improve.
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