A cohort study of transcutaneous oxygen tension and the incidence and severity of retinopathy of prematurity

Article Abstract:

Premature infants who receive supplemental oxygen at a pressure higher than 80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) may have a greater risk of developing retinopathy of prematurity than those who are exposed to lower pressures of oxygen. Retinopathy of prematurity is a disease that affects the retina of the developing eye, and can cause visual impairment and blindness. Of 101 premature infants weighing between 500 and 1,300 grams (g) who received supplemental oxygen during the first four weeks after birth, 52 (51%) developed retinopathy of prematurity. Nineteen of 22 infants who weighed less than 900 g (86%) and 33 of 79 infants who weighed 900 g or more (42%) developed retinopathy of prematurity. Seventy-five percent of the infants who were exposed to an oxygen pressure higher than 80 mm Hg for more than 12 hours developed retinopathy of prematurity, compared to 26% of those who were exposed to this pressure for less than 12 hours. The length of time infants were exposed to oxygen at more than 80 mm Hg was associated with the severity of the disease, especially during the second to fourth week of life.

---

Retinopathy of prematurity

Article Abstract:

Retinopathy of prematurity was first diagnosed in 1942, and this disease was prevalent among infants in hospital nurseries through the early 1950s. Retinopathy of prematurity is a disease that affects the retina of the eye, and can cause blindness. In 1956, a research study found that premature infants who breathed oxygen that was higher than 50% in concentration had three times the risk of developing retinopathy of prematurity. Retinopathy of prematurity is caused by an injury to the blood vessels of the developing eye. As survival of extremely premature infants increased in the 1970s, retinopathy of prematurity resurfaced in hospital nurseries. A recent study found that infants exposed to oxygen pressures above 80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) for long periods of time had a higher risk of developing retinopathy of immaturity than those exposed for shorter periods of time. A new set of standards may limit oxygen pressures to between 50 and 80 mm Hg for the treatment of premature infants.

Editorial

---

Long-term, high-dose glucocorticoids and mineral content in childhood glucocorticoid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome

Article Abstract:

The dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry of the whole body and spine in 60 children and adolescents with the nephrotic syndrome and 195 subjects is performed. It was found that glucocorticoid-induced increases in body-mass index were associated with increased whole-body bone mineral content and maintenance of the bone mineral content of the spine.

Science & research, Children, Youth, Health aspects, Research, Risk factors, Teenagers, Corticosteroids, Nephrotic syndrome, Glucocorticoids

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Subcutaneous interferon alpha in the treatment of refractory condylomata. First-void urine testing for Chlamydia trachomatis by polymerase chain reaction in asymptomatic women
• Abstracts: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and the ethics of clinical research in pediatrics. Religion, conscience, and controversial clinical practices
• Abstracts: Methodologic issues in assessing the quality of life of cancer patients. Social support and the cancer patient: implications for future research and clinical care
• Abstracts: Steroid hormone abnormalities in women with severe idiopathic constipation. DNA probes for diagnosis of intestinal infection
• Abstracts: Federal agencies encouraged to increase reproductive-hazard protection. State and local governments push for clean indoor air

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.