Eleven years of retinopathy of prematurity in one neonatal intensive care unit in Jakarta, Indonesia

BACKGROUND: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a well-known complication in preterm infants. Data on the incidence of ROP in Indonesia, in relation to birth weight (BW) and gestational age (GA), are limited. OBJECTIVE: To report the incidence of ROP in one of the oldest and largest neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Indonesia. METHODS: We studied the incidence and severity of ROP in inborn infants with a BW of ≤1500 g and/or GA of ≤32 weeks, who were admitted to the NICU of Harapan Kita Women and Children Hospital, Jakarta. In addition, infants with a higher BW and GA, receiving more than 40% oxygen for a longer period, were screened. RESULTS: In 2005-2015, 182 infants were born with a BW of <1000 g and 437 with a weight of 1000-1500 g. In the <1000 g group, 27 (46%) of the screened infants showed no ROP, 22 (37%) showed ROP 1-2 and 10 (17%) showed ROP 3-5. In the 1000-1500 g group, 172 (68%) were without ROP, 71 (28%) with ROP 1-2 and nine (4%) with ROP 3-5. Twenty-two (13%) of the 163 screened infants weighing 1500-2000 g showed ROP 1-2 and two (1.2%) had ROP 3-5. Eight (18%) of the 44 screened infants born with a BW of more than 2000 g showed ROP 1-2 and none showed ROP 3-5. CONCLUSION: The total incidence of ROP as well as severe ROP in infants with a BW of <1000 g and 1000-1500 g in our NICU is higher than in a developed country. ROP in Indonesia is also seen in infants with a BW of 1500-2500 g. Increasing the awareness of the risks of oxygen as well as better equipment to monitor oxygen delivery is essential.