Several factors, including age, race and gender, can predict the prevalence of scoliosis in adults, according to studies recently published in Spine.
In a study where researchers examined spinal images of 2,973 patients over 40 years of age, scoliosis was apparent in 263 of the patients. Age was associated with prevalence of scoliosis, which appeared in 3.1 percent of the 40- to 50-year-olds and in 50 percent of patients 90 years or older. The study also found 11.1 percent of white patients and 6.5 percent of African Americans showed signs of scoliosis. African Americans were more likely to have a mild curve than other races.
Another study examined 380 postmenopausal women over the age of 50. Lumbar scoliosis was identified in 12.9 percent of the cases, with 1.6 percent reporting curves of more than 20 degrees. Age and body mass index were predictors of the Cobb angle. However, bone material density was not a predictor of the magnitude of the curve.
Read other coverage on scoliosis:
- 6 Points on Surgical Intervention for Scoliosis
- Scoliosis Research Society Study Benchmarks Postsurgical Infection Rate
- Study: Preoperative Fibrinogen Concentration Limiting for Scoliosis Surgery Patients
In a study where researchers examined spinal images of 2,973 patients over 40 years of age, scoliosis was apparent in 263 of the patients. Age was associated with prevalence of scoliosis, which appeared in 3.1 percent of the 40- to 50-year-olds and in 50 percent of patients 90 years or older. The study also found 11.1 percent of white patients and 6.5 percent of African Americans showed signs of scoliosis. African Americans were more likely to have a mild curve than other races.
Another study examined 380 postmenopausal women over the age of 50. Lumbar scoliosis was identified in 12.9 percent of the cases, with 1.6 percent reporting curves of more than 20 degrees. Age and body mass index were predictors of the Cobb angle. However, bone material density was not a predictor of the magnitude of the curve.
Read other coverage on scoliosis:
- 6 Points on Surgical Intervention for Scoliosis
- Scoliosis Research Society Study Benchmarks Postsurgical Infection Rate
- Study: Preoperative Fibrinogen Concentration Limiting for Scoliosis Surgery Patients