ASSOCIATION BETWEEN FETAL HEMOGLOBIN LEVEL IN BLOOD AND THE ONSET OF RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY

Abstract

Objective To investigate the association between fetal hemoglobin (HbF) level in arterial blood early after birth and the onset of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in preterm infants with a gestational age of <32 weeks. Methods A total of 99 preterm infants with a gestational age of <32 weeks who were admitted to Department of Neonatology in our hospital from March 2019 to February 2022 were enrolled, and according to whether they were diagnosed with ROP, they were divided into ROP group with 34 infants and non-ROP group with 65 infants. Clinical data were compared between the two groups, and the logistic regression method was used to investigate the association between HbF level in arterial blood and ROP at 2 weeks after birth. Results Compared with the non-ROP group, the ROP group had significantly lower gestational age and birth weight (t=3.371,3.218,P<0.05), significantly higher constituent ratios of infants with a gestational age of <28 weeks, infants with a birth weight of <1 000 g, infants born by vaginal delivery, and infants receiving blood transfusion within 2 weeks after birth, and significantly longer oxygen supply time and length of hospital stay (χ2=4.390-11.579,Z=3.283,5.207,P<0.05). Compared with the non-ROP group, the ROP group had significantly lower hemoglobin level and HbF ratio in arterial blood at 2 weeks after birth (t=-2.791,-3.599,P<0.05). The logistic regression analysis showed that the reduction in HbF ratio in arterial blood was a risk factor for ROP (OR=0.915,95%CI=0.849-0.987,P<0.05). Conclusion The reduction in HbF ratio in arterial blood at 2 weeks after birth is a risk factor for ROP in preterm infants with a gestational age of <32 weeks, and maintaining a high HbF level in arterial blood may have a preventive effect on ROP.

Keywords

• fetal hemoglobin|retinopathy of prematurity|infant, premature