The first study of epidemiology of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis shows lower prevalence in females of Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Hemender Singh, Shipra, Varun Sharma, Indu Sharma, Akash Sharma, Sonakshi Modeel, Nital Gupta, Geetanjali Gupta, Ajay Pandita, Mohammad Farooq Butt, Rajesh Sharma, Sarla Pandita, Vinod Singh, Ekta Rai, Shiro Ikegawa, Swarkar Sharma
Abstract
AIS is a heterogeneous 3D spinal deformity with Cobb angle ≥10°. It affects children in the age group of 10-16 years globally with 2-3% prevalence and significant female predominance. The exact etiology of AIS is not known however, it is supposed to be associated with factors such as anthropometric, metabolic, neuromuscular abnormalities and genetics. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of AIS and association of anthropometric factors with AIS in the studied population group. METHODOLOGY: Scoliosis screening of 9,500 individuals was carried out at different educational institutions of Jammu region in Jammu and Kashmir, India using a scoliosis-meter. The subjects were later examined radiologically. RESULTS: -value =0.029). CONCLUSIONS: The AIS patients in the Jammu region of India have unique clinical features. In contrast to the global prevalence data, the prevalence of AIS in females in the region was less in comparison to males. Based on epidemiological literature and our findings, we hypothesized that genetic factors might be a major contributor in the AIS pathogenesis along with other confounding factors such as height, BMI, ethnicity, etc.