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. 2021 Apr 5;18(7):3783.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18073783.

Comparison of Mean Platelet Counts in Preterm Infants with and without Retinopathy of Prematurity

Zi Di Lim  1   2 , Edwin Pheng  1   2 , Evelyn Tai Li Min  1   2 , Hans Van Rostenberghe  2   3 , Ismail Shatriah  1   2
Affiliations

Comparison of Mean Platelet Counts in Preterm Infants with and without Retinopathy of Prematurity

Zi Di Lim et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Platelets are a primary source of pro- and anti-angiogenic cytokines. However, the evidence of their role in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is controversial. This retrospective study aimed to compare mean weekly platelet counts between infants with and without ROP over the first 6 weeks of life. A total of 93 infants matched by gestational age and birth weight were recruited (31 with ROP, 62 without ROP). Weekly mean platelet counts and other related risk factors were documented. The repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the repeated measure analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used to compare mean platelet counts over time between the two groups, with and without adjusting for confounders. We found significant differences in the weekly mean platelet counts of infants with and without ROP over the first 6 weeks of life (p = 0.002). These differences disappeared after adjusting for covariates (p = 0.489). Lower mean platelet counts in ROP infants are not directly related to ROP, but rather to the presence of other risk factors for ROP, such as culture-proven sepsis, blood transfusion and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Keywords: infant; platelet count; premature; retinopathy of prematurity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean platelet count in groups with and without retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) from birth to week 6 of life pre-and postadjustment for confounders (culture-proven sepsis, blood transfusion and bronchopulmonary dysplasia). This graphical depiction of the weekly mean platelet count in infants with and without ROP demonstrates that the difference between the two groups disappears after adjusting for covariates.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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