{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T12:08:25Z","timestamp":1778155705891,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":18,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,16]],"date-time":"2022-03-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1647388800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100011326","name":"Shiga University of Medical Science","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100011326","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Purpose<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>To investigate changes in the number of preterm infants, low birth weight infants, and infants with fetal growth restriction (FGR) or retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we reviewed the medical records of infants born and admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit and growth care unit of Shiga University of Medical Science Hospital before the COVID-19 pandemic (April 1, 2019 to September 30, 2019) and during the pandemic (April 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020). Medical records of infants\u2019 mothers were also collected. Preterm infants, low birth weight infants, infants with FGR, infant and maternal factors associated with FGR, and infants requiring treatment for ROP were compared between the two periods.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>There were fewer infants born at &lt; 28 weeks of gestation, infants with birth weight &lt; 1,500 g, and infants with FGR during the pandemic period than the pre-pandemic period (pre-pandemic: n = 4 vs. during pandemic: n = 0, P = 0.048; pre-pandemic: n = 15 vs. during pandemic: n = 6, P = 0.02; and pre-pandemic: n = 31 vs. during pandemic: n = 12, P = 0.0002, respectively). There were no significant differences in any infant or maternal factors associated with FGR. The number of infants requiring treatment for ROP decreased during the pandemic, although this difference was not statistically significant (pre-pandemic: n = 3 vs. during pandemic: n = 0, P = 0.08).<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Our findings showed a reduction in the number of infants with FGR during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of infants born at &lt; 28 weeks of gestation and infants with birth weight &lt; 1,500 g also decreased during the pandemic period. There was a trend toward fewer infants requiring treatment for ROP during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0265147","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,16]],"date-time":"2022-03-16T17:41:12Z","timestamp":1647452472000},"page":"e0265147","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Changes in fetal growth restriction and retinopathy of prematurity during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: A cross-sectional 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