Racial Differences in Retinopathy of Prematurity

To delineate racial differences in the incidence and time course of ROP in a large cohort of premature infants. The secondary analysis of data from the two Postnatal Growth and ROP Studies (G-ROP-1 and G-ROP-2) that were collected in 41 hospitals in North America from 2006 to 2017. According to self-reported maternal race, premature infants were classified into 3 groups: White (N = 5580), Black (N = 3252), and Asian (N = 353). Incidence, severity, and time course of ROP; plus disease; and postnatal weight gain rate were compared among racial groups. Black infants had significantly smaller BW (mean 1035 vs. 1131 vs.1144 grams, P .05), but lower in Black and Asian infants on days 31–40 (P Despite relatively lower GA, BW, and daily-weight-gain, Black preterm infants had lower incidences of ROP and plus disease than White preterm infants. The mechanisms for these differences require further investigation.