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Treating preterm infants with erythropoietin does not increase the risk of retinopathy of prematurity

Journal of Perinatology (2024)Cite this article

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The diagnosis “ROP requiring treatment” can only be made in infants who survive to at least 33–34 weeks postnatal age. Many of the deaths in the control group, especially those born at 22–24 weeks, would have occurred well before a diagnosis of “ROP requiring treatment” could have been made. In fact there was no difference between groups with the composite outcome “death or ROP” (33% in both groups).

A single center study by Romagnoli et al. in 2000 was the only one to report an increased incidence of ROP in preterm infants receiving erythropoietin [3]. Authors of a 2006 meta-analysis recommended that erythropoietin not be administered to preterm infants because of this concern [4]. However, that meta-analysis misclassified the Romagnoli study as “early” erythropoietin administration (first week). An updated meta-analysis correcting that mistake showed no such association.

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Fig. 1: A meta-analysis of individual RCTs concludes that recombinant erythropoietin (or darbepoetin) administration to preterm infants is not associated with the development of ROP >stage 2.

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah Health, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Timothy M. Bahr, Robin K. Ohls & Robert D. Christensen

  2. Women and Newborns Research Program, Intermountain Healthcare, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Timothy M. Bahr & Robert D. Christensen

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  1. Timothy M. Bahr
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  2. Robin K. Ohls
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  3. Robert D. Christensen
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TMB: collection and assembly of data, data analysis and interpretation, manuscript writing, editing, and final approval of manuscript. RKO: collection and assembly of data, data analysis and interpretation, manuscript writing, editing, and final approval of manuscript. RDC: collection and assembly of data, data analysis, and interpretation, manuscript writing, editing, and final approval of manuscript.

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Correspondence to Timothy M. Bahr.

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Bahr, T.M., Ohls, R.K. & Christensen, R.D. Treating preterm infants with erythropoietin does not increase the risk of retinopathy of prematurity. J Perinatol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-024-02047-6

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