P449\u2005Probiotics and retinopathy of premature: systemic review

Abstract

Introduction As we know, ROP is a multifactorial disease, and several preventable factors are dependent on increased ROP. Thus, we decided to undertake a systematic review to study the effects of probiotics on the prevalence and severity of ROP. Method We searched studies in the PubMed, Cochrane collaborative library and Google Scholar at all levels until January 30, 2019. The papers were evaluated independently by two reviewers according to the predefined criteria and relevant data were extracted. The initial complications of ROP and its severity and stage were analyzed. Results Of the 780 extracted studies, only 13 studies were relevant, none of which had directly investigated the effect of probiotics on the prevalence of ROP. Athorough study of the articles revealed that9 studies had examined the effect of probiotics on the severity of ROP without reporting any significant correlation. Moreover, 4 studies had assessed the effect of probiotics on the stage of ROP, with none of them reporting a significant difference. A meta-analysis published in 2017 suggested that the use of probiotics significantly reduces the risk of infection without affecting the severity and stage of ROP. Conclusion According to the results of the study, a challenging problem in clinical trials is that poor infant growth can be a predictor of ROP and proper nutrition can improve infant growth. Hence, further studies are required to determine whether probiotics have an indirect or direct effect on the incidence or severity of ROP or not.