Complete blood count parameters as biomarkers of retinopathy of prematurity: a Portuguese multicenter study

Abstract

Purpose To evaluate complete blood count (CBC) parameters in the first week of life as predictive biomarkers for the development of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Methods Multicenter, prospective, observational study of a cohort of preterm infants born with gestational age (GA) < 32 weeks or birth weight < 1500 g in eight Portuguese neonatal intensive care units. All demographic, clinical, and laboratory data from the first week of life were collected. Univariate logistic regression was used to assess risk factors for ROP and then multivariate regression was performed. Results A total of 455 infants were included in the study. The median GA was 29.6 weeks, and the median birth weight was 1295 g. One hundred and seventy-two infants (37.8%) developed ROP. Median values of erythrocytes (p < 0.001), hemoglobin (p < 0.001), hematocrit (p < 0.001), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (p < 0.001), lymphocytes (p = 0.035), and platelets (p = 0.003) of the group of infants diagnosed with ROP any stage were lower than those without ROP. Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) (p = 0.044), red blood cell distribution width (RDW) (p < 0.001), erythroblasts (p < 0.001), neutrophils (p = 0.030), neutrophils-lymphocytes ratio (p = 0.028), and basophils (p = 0.003) were higher in the ROP group. Higher values of MCV, erythroblasts, and basophils remained significantly associated with ROP after multivariate regression. Conclusion In our cohort, the increase in erythroblasts, MCV, and basophils in the first week of life was significantly and independently associated with the development of ROP. These CBC parameters may be early predictive biomarkers for ROP.

Genetic Modulation of the Erythrocyte Phenotype Associated with Retinopathy of Prematurity—A Multicenter Portuguese Cohort Study

“…Our study shows significant differences in the blood count of the first week of life between infants who subsequently develop ROP and those who do not. Higher erythroblast counts and RDW, as well as lower mean hemoglobin levels and MCHC, are significantly associated with the development of ROP, which is in line with the work we previously reported [43]. Of these parameters related with anemia, only mean hemoglobin levels lose statistical significance after adjustment for GA and number of days of red blood cell transfusion, risk factors associated with ROP after logistic regression analysis.…”

Red blood cell parameters as biomarkers of retinopathy of prematurity in preterm infants born before 30 weeks of gestation

“…However, reports on RBC parameters, such as RDW and ROP, are limited. 21 In our study, RDW, MCH, and MCV were not independent risk factors for ROP after adjusting for multiple confounders. These differences may be due to variable sample sizes, gestational ages, birth weights, follow-up times, case de nitions, and adjustments for confounding factors.…”

“…gestational age, birth weight, SGA, oxygen supplementation on DOL 28, mechanical ventilation on DOL 28, and RBC transfusion before DOL 28. 21…”

“…Furthermore, reports on the association between red blood cell (RBC) parameters and ROP treatments are limited. [20][21][22] Thus, we aimed to evaluate the association between RBC parameters and ROP treatment.…”

Platelet Counts and Risk of Severe Retinopathy of Prematurity: A Bayesian Model-Averaged Meta-Analysis

“…The search process PRISMA flow diagram is depicted in Figure S1. Of 2645 studies with potential relevance, 21 were included [6,7,9,10,[27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]. These studies reported on 3625 infants.…”