Gestational age, maternal smoking, neurological lesion and retinopathy predict strabismus at age 5.5 in preterm children

• Published in: Acta Paediatrica 2025-01, Vol.114 (1), p.141-147
• Main Authors: Chapron, Thibaut, Pierrat, Véronique, Barjol, Amandine, Marchand, Laetitia, Caputo, Georges, Ancel, Pierre‐Yves, Torchin, Héloise
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Child, Preschool; Children; Cigarette smoking; Drug addiction; Female; Gestational Age; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Lesions; Male; Neonates; Population studies; Pregnancy; prematurity; Prospective Studies; Retinopathy; retinopathy of prematurity; Retinopathy of Prematurity - epidemiology; Retinopathy of Prematurity - etiology; Risk Factors; Smoking - adverse effects; smoking during pregnancy; Strabismus; Strabismus - epidemiology; Strabismus - etiology; strabismus risk factors; étude épidémiologique Sur les petits âges gestationnels 2
• ISSN: 0803-5253; 1651-2227; 1651-2227
• DOI: 10.1111/apa.17417

Aim Prematurity is a risk factor for strabismus, but the roles of intermediate factors like retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and neurological lesions are less understood. We aimed to identify neonatal risk factors for strabismus at age 5.5 in preterm children. Methods Data were extracted from the étude épidémiologique sur les petits âges gestationnels 2 cohort, a French prospective population‐based study of preterm children born in 2011 with gestational age of 34 weeks or less. Strabismus was recorded during a medical interview at 5.5 years. Using a directed acyclic graph, intermediate and confounding factors were identified. Total and direct effects of gestational age on strabismus risk were analysed using generalised estimating equation. Results Among 2419 children assessed, 274 (52.6% male) presented strabismus at 5.5 years. The direct effect of gestational age remained significant after adjustment (p