Navn / Name: MD Carina Slidsborg

Institution: Rigshospitalet

Afdeling / Department: Øjenklinikken, afd. 2061

E-mail: carinaslidsborg@hotmail.com

Medforfattere / Co-authors:

Navn / Name: MD, overlæge, dr. med Hans Callø Fledelius

Institution: Rigshospitalet

Afdeling / Department: The Eye Department

Navn / Name: MD, overlæge, dr. med, FEBO Morten la Cour

Institution: Glostrup Hospital

Afdeling / Department: The Eye Department

ABSTRACT

Objective: The objective of the current study is to investigate the population incidence of ROP treatment in Denmark in the ten-year period (1996-2005) and whether certain neonatal risk factors can explain the increase incidence in the latter half of the period. We correlate the determined ROP treatment incidences with those of previous international studies and show the importance of using common denominators when comparing studies. Methods: In Denmark ROP treatment is centralized to the Eye department of Rigshospitalet. Every newborn child is provided with a civil registration number. This allows a retrospective cohort of treated infants to be correlated to national demographic data. The National Birth Registry provides information about neonatal parameters. These parameters along with birth in the latter half of the period (2001-2005) were analysed as risk factors for ROP in a multivariate analysis. The National Register for Blind and Visually Impaired Children was assessed for national screening quality of ROP. Results:In 1996-2000, the incidence of ROP treatment was 1.3% among infants born before completion of 32 gestational weeks, and surviving for at least 5 weeks. In 2001-2005 this incidence rose significantly to 3.5% (P<0.001). Significant risk factors for ROP treatment were low gestational age, small for gestational age, male sex, and multiple births. Other yet unknown factors contributed to the increase in the latter half of the period. No major change in the number of visually impaired children was found. Thus the national screening quality stayed the same in the two five-year periods. Conclusion : The increased incidence of ROP treatment in Denmark over the last half decade was statistically significant. This increase is partly explained by low gestational age, small for gestational age, male sex, and multiple births . A majority of the extra treatments in the latter half of the period is yet to be explained. The incidence of ROP treatment in Denmark resembles those in various international studies and awareness of using common denominators is important when studies compare.