Articular hypermobility in Icelandic 12-year-olds

• Published in: Rheumatology
• Main Authors: Qvindesland, A, Jonsson, H
• Other Authors: Landspítalinn University Hospital, Reykjavík, Iceland.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 2009
• Subjects: Athletic Injuries; Child; Female; Humans; Iceland; Joint Instability; Male; Pain; Prevalence; Prospective Studies; Range of Motion; Articular; Sex Distribution
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/46994; https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/38.10.1014

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence of articular hypermobility and its relationship to musculoskeletal pain in Icelandic 12-yr-olds, and to obtain baseline data for a prospective study on the subject. METHODS: A total of 267 12-yr-olds were examined for articular hypermobility by the Beighton criteria. The children also answered a questionnaire concerning musculoskeletal pain and injuries, sports and musical activity. RESULTS: The prevalence of hypermobility (defined as >/=4 Beighton criteria) was 40.5% in girls and 12.9% in boys. Despite slight trends for hypermobile subjects to be less active in sports and to report more joint pain, no correlation could be found between hypermobility and musculoskeletal symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: An unusually marked sex difference in hypermobility exists among Icelandic 12-yr-olds, but hypermobility does not seem to affect joint symptoms or leisure activities at this age.