The effect of hemoglobin level in early life on periventricular leukomalacia: a case control study

Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is a distinct form of brain injury that occurs in preterm infants. The aim of this study is to find suitable and easily accessible laboratory indicators for early prediction of PVL occurrence. A retrospective, case control study was conducted. Infants diagnosed with PVL were included and matched 1:3 with infants without PVL by sex and birth weight. A total of 364 infants were included in this study, including 91 in PVL group and 273 in control group. The hemoglobin (Hb) level (t = -2.961, p = 0.003) and red blood cell (RBC) count (t = -3.593, p < 0.001) in PVL group were lower than those in control group on the 7th day after birth. Logistic regression showed that the Hb level (OR = 0.984, 95%CI 0.972-0.996, p = 0.010) and the RBC count (OR = 0.120, 95%CI 0.034-0.424, p = 0.001) on the 7th day after birth were significantly correlated with the occurrence PVL disease. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the cut-off value of Hb level on the 7th day after birth was 117.5 g/L (sensitivity = 0.553, specificity = 0.637) and the cut-off value of RBC count on the 7th day after birth was 3.025 × 10¹²/L (sensitivity = 0.762, specificity = 0.451). The specificities of the combined indicator on the 7th day after birth was 0.821. The Hb level and RBC count in early life can be used to predict the occurrence of PVL, which are suitable and easy to obtain.