Abstract

VILLEGAS-BECERRIL, E.; GONZALEZ-FERNANDEZ, R.; PERULA-TORRES, L.  and  GALLARDO-GALERA, J.M.. IGF-I, VEGF and bFGF as predictive factors for the onset of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Arch Soc Esp Oftalmol [online]. 2006, vol.81, n.11, pp.641-646. ISSN 0365-6691.

Objective: To determine if IGF-I, VEGF and bFGF, present in the serum of premature infants, are independent risk factors of the development of ROP. It was also our objective to design a multivariate model that included these three cytokines as indicator parameters in the ROP screening, in addition to the other parameters already in existence. Methods: 74 patients were recruited with a birth weight below 1500g or gestational age below 32 weeks. These were classified into those who developed ROP (N = 37) and those without ROP (N = 37). We obtained serum from each infant at the time of the first examination at 4-6 postnatal weeks. These samples were frozen until the time of analysis. The roles of gestational age and birth weight were also evaluated. Results: There were significant differences in the amount of the cytokines IGF-I and VEGF between the groups with or without ROP, but there were no significant differences for bFGF. The differences enabled us to establish a multivariate model including IGF-I and VEGF for the prediction of risk of ROP. Conclusions: Cytokine serum levels in premature infants can be useful as an indicator in ROP screening, as well as being used to predict the probability of suffering the illness.

Keywords : Growth factor; IGF-I; VEGF; bFGF; retinopathy of prematurity; citokines.

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