Screening program in Michoacan State for Retinopathy of prematurity

Objective: to determine gestational age (GA) and birth weight (BW) parameters associated to development of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) through the state program of early diagnosis and treatment of ROP in Michoacan, Mexico. Methods: a medical team exclusively devoted to ROP diagnosis and treatment examined 304 premature patients in 6 cities of Michoacan, following ROP policies recommended by Ministry of Health of Mexico. Severe ROP was treated with laser. Logistic regression was used to calculate GA and BW odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results: 88/304 patients (28.9%) developed some degree of ROP; 31 patients with GA <= 32 weeks and BW <= 1,550 g required laser treatment. ROP risk increased when GA < 30 weeks (OR: 5.19; 95% CI: 3.69-17.96; p = 0.01) and BW < 1,000 g (OR: 4.33; 95% CI: 1.72-10.85; p = 0.02); 5 patients had retinal detachment. Conclusions: premature patients with GA <= 32 weeks and BW <= 1,550 g have risk of developing severe ROP. This screening program could be a model for other Mexican states looking for blindness prevention secondary to ROP.