Retinopathy of Prematurity and Iron: A Modification of the Oxygen Hypothesis
- 1 December 1986
- journal article
- Published by American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in Pediatrics
- Vol. 78 (6) , 1171-1172
- https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.78.6.1171
Abstract
To the Editor.— Despite several decades of study, retinopathy of prematurity remains incompletely understood. The role of oxygen in the pathogenesis of retinopathy of prematurity has received much attention.1,2 I wish to suggest a modification of the hypothesis that retinopathy of prematurity is caused by oxidative damage to the developing retina. I propose that during the first few weeks of life the developing retina is abnormally susceptible to damage by oxygen because it is exposed to elevated concentrations of ionic iron capable of catalyzing the formation of toxic oxygen species.Keywords
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