Factors associated with idiopathic adolescent scoliosis in female population - preliminary results

Abstract

Introduction/Objective. Idiopathic scoliosis (IS) is an orthopedic condition of multifactorial origin. The aim of our study was to evaluate the factors that are associated with IS in female population and factors associated with varicose veins in females with IS. Methods. This retrospective-prospective cross-section study included 89 patients (the study group) and 87 controls. The following parameters were analyzed: body weight, body height, presence and the degree of varicose veins (the first, second, and third degree), and age (group in the range of 17–26 years, in the range of 27–36 years, and in the range of 37–46 years). Results. The study group has significantly lower body weight (p = 0.046), significantly higher proportion of varicose veins (p < 0.001) compared to controls, significantly lower proportion of patients aged 27–36 years (p = 0.014), and significantly higher proportion of patients aged 37–46 years (p = 0.025) compared to controls. There is significantly higher proportion of patients in the study group with the first degree of varicose veins (p = 0.007). There is weak positive correlation between body weight and body height in the group of patients without varicose veins (R = 0.456) and in the group with the second degree of varicose veins (R = 0.291), while for the group with the first degree of varicose veins there is moderate positive correlation (R = 0.543). Conclusion. Our preliminary findings point out that lower body weight and presence of varicose veins are significantly associated with IS. The group of patients with IS above 37 years of age tends to have significantly higher proportion of varicose veins.

Keywords

• Idiopathic scoliosis
• varicose veins
• age
• body weight
• body height